Frederik Hendrik Baggerman
Obituary
Freddie was born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands. He lost his father at seven and this had a profound impact on his life. His brave and beautiful mother, Henny, was devoted to Freddie and his little brother, Rob. Freddie liked to tell stories of the three spending vacations camping at Lake Garda, Italy and once traveling on an extended trip to Canada to visit relatives where he and Rob became little cowboys.
Always a rebellious adventurer, Freddie left Holland for the United States, sailing aboard the yacht, Courageous, which belonged to Ted Turner. He was just 20 years old. Sailing became an integral part of his life. He not only was a champion racing sailor, but also commanded the foredeck of several racing yachts. Freddie was also a sailmaker and all of his abilities made him a desirable crewmember when he sailed around the world. He visited the pyramids at Giza, went ashore to commission rudder repair in Yemen and his boat was shot up in the Indian Ocean. Later on, the crew became extras in a movie filming in Singapore, where they were surrounded by beautiful women as usual.
Freddie was a man of many talents; his lean 6'6" stature demanded respect. Once in Sonoma County he began a business called Stone Age Foods, which created healthy salads and such and did remarkably well. When that business went out of fashion, he took over the daily running of Sonoma Sausage Co. After the sausage company, Freddie became the brand manager for the Dutch chocolate liqueur, Vermeer. Tired of the commute to San Francisco, he managed the Ace Cider Pub and then a Petaluma bar. Freddie found his niche working as a lead driver at Pure Luxury Transportation and was there for years meeting myriad interesting people; both world famous entertainers and captains of industry. Freddie found common ground with everyone and could chat about anything to anyone.
Despite all of those endeavors, Freddie had one vocation he enjoyed above all others. He became a motivational speaker for a company called Sage. As such he was able to help reveal solutions to his clients by gently directing them to look within themselves for answers; they spoke and he listened. Motivating people and navigating their troubled waters along with them was Freddie's pleasure.
Freddie was about to become a licensed pilot when 9/11 derailed that ambition. He loved to fly his drone, race fifth scale remote control cars and was a devoted Formula One fan. Few know that Freddie was also an excellent drummer.
Freddie died suddenly and unexpectedly leaving his loving and devoted wife, Mercedes and their kittens, Frida & Diego; his son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter, Bo, Mallory and Avery; and his brother, Rob, who resides in Holland.
Freddie's sly smile, infectious laughter and wry wit are sorely missed.
We will celebrate his life, both here in California and in Holland, on his birthday, September 5, 2022 (if you would like to join us, please contact Mercedes at mmmercy@sonic.net
Published in North Bay Bohemian · August 11, 2022