In memoriam: Lodewijk Lagemaat (Pattaya)

Today we received the sad message that Lodewijk Lagemaat (76) passed away in hospital after an illness. Lodewijk was a loyal blogger, who wrote a total of 965 articles for Thailandblog.

On December 14, 2020 we received a message from him that his health was not going well. As early as July 28, 2020, he experienced the first problems with many hospital visits and chemotherapy. We had e-mail contact almost every week and from that I understood that it was hard for him. He was often too tired to respond at length.

The last e-mail contact with Lodewijk dates from 12 February. After I asked how he was doing, he said he was very tired from the tests and medications. He hoped to leave the hospital after 10 days and wished me a good Chinese New Year….

Although we knew he was very ill, it is still a shock to read that he has now passed away. Not only for us but also for his daughter, girlfriend, family and friends.

I got to meet Lodewijk a few times. Usually we met at Pattaya Beer Garden where you can sit by the sea and enjoy a cup of coffee or lunch. Sometimes I took something with me in my suitcase from the Netherlands at his request, such as in October 2017. I mainly remember him as a sweet man, trusting. Too good, in fact, which has also caused him to get into trouble.

Lodewijk sent a story to the editors of Thailandblog several times a week and was very loyal to it. His stories had to be edited and that was done. He especially liked to drive his car around Pattaya and surroundings, take pictures and then he made a story that he sent. He submitted his first story for Thailandblog on December 15, 2013. Lodewijk was invited to a special ceremony in honor of King Bhumibol's birthday at the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya and made a report about it. Since that time he was inextricably linked to Thailandblog. Even when he was already seriously ill, he continued to submit articles faithfully.

Lodewijk moved to Thailand in 2012 after his wife died suddenly a few years earlier. He knew Thailand through his older brother who worked there during the winter months. He got acquainted with a Thai lady, but that was disappointing. A reason for him to become more careful and reserved. He fully enjoyed the freedom he had in Thailand. This way he could organize his own time and loved to play tennis every now and then. Behind his house is a small airfield, where he liked to go and meet his friends. In the Netherlands he flew at the airport of Hilversum and Teuge.

Lodewijk was also a socially committed person, he worked for a number of years as a volunteer at the Mercy center in Pattaya. An institution for neglected children aged 0 – 18 years. During this period he picked up volunteers from other parts of the world with a small bus from their shelter to bring them to this institution, but there was also a lot to do within the institution. Artificial flowers were made at another institution 10 kilometers outside of Pattaya for the mentally handicapped. Lodewijk sold it through various shops in Pattaya, so that the institution received more financial resources.

He was also active in the NVT Pattaya expat club. Together with the also deceased Martin Brands and others, they organized and celebrated a fantastic 2014th anniversary in 10. For some time he edited the club's monthly magazine. With Bert Gringhuis (Gringo), Dick Koger and Hans Geleijnse he had taken over the Dutch page from Colin de Jong, because Colin no longer had time for it. Over time, they stopped doing that. Lodewijk found writing for Thailandblog much more fun, because there is often a response from readers and he thought you had to stay focused on what you write. For example, a reader from Australia once responded to an article of his, which he found very special.

Unfortunately Lodewijk is no longer with us and that is a loss. Not only for Thailandblog but for everyone who thought he was a sympathetic and pleasant person, I was one of them.

In the near future, but also in the future, we will be relocating Lodewijk's stories to remember him. Because although he couldn't win the battle with his illness, he left a nice legacy of 965 fun stories. They don't disappear. Lodewijk lives on on Thailandblog and in our thoughts.

Thank you Louis, rest in peace.