01/19/2020
Today our friend Freddy died. It is unbelievable. Freddy has one of the most vibrant and kind personalities I’ve ever met and it is unfathomable that his vibrancy is gone.
I cannot tell you when I met Freddy. One day he just showed up in my fitness classes and it felt like he had always been there. When I think of Freddy, I think of unbridled energy. In class I would give directions and with gusto Freddy would do the opposite. I would say “left” and Freddy would go right, I would say “run to the corner” and Freddy would run around the block. Every single time this was endearing and never insulting. Freddy did everything at the gym with 100% passion and concentration and his ability to lose himself in the movements was beautiful even if he did things slightly differently. He had complete faith in what he was doing and he never approached any task with doubt. His presence brightened the atmosphere at the gym and his enthusiasm was contagious. Even when workouts got hard Freddy would persist and his occasional exacerbated grunts when we were all dying made us laugh. To be around Freddy meant that hard work was less hard. To be around Freddy meant life was bearable and lighthearted.
After classes, he would do pull ups and you could tell he took particular pride in that. Freddy had incredible strength and speed for a man in his late 50s and it is an understatement to say he moved better than a man half his age. After class, no matter how sweaty we all were, Freddy would give out hugs and kisses—the best and most sincere hugs—the kind of hugs that let you know Freddy is one of the sincerest people to walk this earth.
During the parties we had outside the gym, Freddy could be counted on to have a good time. As with movement, Freddy talked, laughed, drank, dance and sang with happy abandon. During the late nights of those parties Freddy would belt out songs in both Spanish and English, completely free and delighted. At the last party I was at with Freddy he asked to play Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and we all drunkenly sang along, swaying side by side. I still cannot believe that Freddy did not wake up when I played piano man at his hospital bedside.
When Freddy was not at the gym, it was because it was tax season. He would disappear like a hibernating bear from January to April. Freddy is an accountant and he worked hard over many years building a successful business alongside his wife and sons. When he would return to classes in the spring I would ask him about his tax season. The work was obviously stressful but he took pride in being so dedicated to what he accomplished. When Freddy returned to the gym after tax season he was an explosion of energy: you could immediately tell that he needed to run, lift, crawl, jump, pull, push. Freddy had a fundamental need to move his body and it has been an absolute honor to provide him so many opportunities to move over the years.
I cannot believe Freddy will not return to the gym after the 2020 tax season. I cannot believe the man we visited yesterday in the hospital is dead today. When we saw him yesterday, we knew he would not make it but we couldn’t really believe it. His color was great. Despite being so sick, he had not really lost weight. He was breathing steadily and he didn’t smell sick, like how my mother did right before she died. Yesterday, Freddy actually looked quite beautiful.
He will remain beautiful. Freddy was a beautiful person, someone I am honored to know and spend time with. Freddy leaves behind his wife Germania and his two sons and it is impossible to comprehend how much pain they must be in. He leaves behind his friend Ruben, who was more like a brother. His siblings in Ecuador did not get to see Freddy one last time and this absolutely breaks my heart. Freddy was a gentle soul and his death is simply unfair.
To Freddy: we love you. You cannot possibly imagine how much we will miss you and how deeply you have touched our lives. Thank you for being who you were. Thank you for making our time at the gym better; thank you for being apart of our family.
Every single time we do those dynamic hamstring stretches that you used to explode into, I will say “let’s do some Freddys” ❤️
