Farewell, Freddie

Last week, Saratoga lost yet another person who was a long-time fixture of the area.

In my experience, there were very few people who didn’t know Fred “Freddie” Williams. It was never difficult to spot him as he made his way around town, with a cup of coffee in one hand. He was, in a way, the one-man welcoming committee of Saratoga. I think you could truly feel you were welcomed to town if you crossed paths with him.

My first experience with Freddie was way back in 1999. My parents had just moved us to Saratoga and they were building our house outside town. With no washer or dryer, we’d make the drive into town to use the laundromat. One night my mom, my brother and I were eating pizza while waiting on laundry when Freddie came in. I can’t remember all he said and being new to the area, we weren’t sure who he even was.

In middle school, I remember waiting outside the Country Store with members of Saratoga’s Babe Ruth Baseball team for our ride to Rawlins. Freddie was often there, talking with one member of the team or another.

It’s funny to think about the people you get used to seeing and how difficult it is to deal with when they’re no longer around. It could be I’m more susceptible to this line of thinking because I lost my maternal grandfather on May 20 or I just recently was in Riverton for the memorial service of my paternal great-uncle. Whatever the reason, it’s hard to not see Freddie walking around Saratoga anymore.

As I was talking about it with my wife, Telitha, she told me “I’ve found myself driving around Saratoga trying to look for him”. She had more time with Freddie than I did, working at Kum & Go. She recounted to me how he would always walk in for his cup of coffee and he would stick around if he felt there were too many people in the store and was worried about the safety of those behind the counter.

When I came to the Saratoga Sun, I could always count on Freddie joining Dick Perue as he came in to give advice to Keith McLendon when he was editor/publisher, then to me when I took on the role. When I ran into Freddie at the post office, he would say “Thank you for the Sun” and I would respond “You’re welcome”. I remember my mother responding the same way when she was the general manager and Freddie thanked her for the Sun.

You may not have known Freddie, but you knew who Freddie was. Even my graphic designer, just six months into living in Saratoga, knew who Freddie was. WIth a smile on his face and coffee in his hand, he’d always wave and tell you hello and it was impossible not to say hello back.

You will be missed, Freddie.