Mercury

horrible news.....thanks for letting us know, Oliver, and I'm sure you know we'll all be thinking of both you and Epigonos......

My condolences. 
~Boomer~

Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. :(

Sad news indeed. My condolences to all concerned, but especially to @Oliver

@Oliver thank you for sharing this sad news with us.  @Epigonos was always fun to be around.  I especially enjoyed many of his traveling stories and his willingness to dispense advice.  
 
I will raise a toast to him today.  

Thanks for all these tributes which add so much dimension and heart to my already vivid memories of @Epigonos -- his presence, his banter, his gruffness, his generosity, his deviled eggs -- at a PS gathering some years back... 

Warm thoughts to all who are feeling this loss today.

 

WHAT??!!! SO sorry to read this...
Always the gentleman with something nice to say. His culinary skills were insane as well.
He'll be missed! (Shaking my head as I type....).
Love to you Oliver. 

This is truly an incredible loss to this community. I remember meeting Epigonos at the PS event two years ago and he was such an incredibly funny, generous and kind man. I probably ended up talking to him more than anyone at the events. I specifically remember him sitting next to me at the dinner when I was at a table by myself. What a loss.
Let's keep his memory alive here in this community. 

Like many of you I first met Epigones at an early PS gathering. He was a prince of a man, never one to leave you in doubt as to what he thought and believed, a gracious host, an outstanding cook  and a friend. Yes, he has left us, but his memory will long live with us.  

I'm so sorry to hear this news. Oliver I'm sending many many warm hugs to you. Epigonos set the standard for how to make the initial contact with a provider. He made sure he reminded me how good he was in doing so. LOL
He also invited me to accompany him on a weekend get away. It was my first time "traveling" I was a nervous wreck. He quickly put me at ease and gave me an wonderful New Orleans Adventure. 
The years that followed included many Prime Rib Holiday Dinners. His home was always decorated like Winter Wonderland. One year I commented oh how much I admired his coveted Santa Cookie Jar. He gave it to me a few years back after one of our dinners. I will be sad putting it out this year but I will think about the many delicious holiday meals we shared together and that will make me smile.
Rest in Peace

So sad to hear this - I only knew him from the few PS gatherings I was able to attend, but I chatted with him each time.  I will miss seeing his Dying Gaul avatar as I was always interested in what he had to say even if the comment was "curmudgeonly".  He was full of information and certainly had an eye for pointing out new talent.

I was so sorry to hear the sad new.  My heart goes out to his family and Oliver .

Deviled eggs, boisterous laugh… a founding member and a man who knew what he wanted, when and how… Honest in his opinions and dedicated to his beliefs~ A fine example of confidence, inner strength and conviction~ A life well lived~! 
 Continue the journey E~! 
 The sense of loss is a reminder of the many years of friendship and camaraderie that is at least equal to the love shared~ 

Oh No,  so sorry to hear of this sad news.  I always enjoyed visiting with @Epigonos.  While he may be direct, he always care about people and made this world a better place.  I will always remember his love for cooking and dedication to this hobby that so many of us enjoy.  We all probably have fond memories and stories that we can remind us of him.  May he RIP.  

Very sad to read this. Oliver, my deepest condolences to you and all who obviously cared for him very much.

I am stunned. I know what an important role he has played in your life in recent years. There are some people one takes for granted will always be there, and such a sudden departure is hard to absorb. We will all miss him here.

I did the same, but I think I may have been too late.
Last Friday I mopped my floors with the Pine-Sol.  Shortly thereafter flu symptoms came from nowhere.
I had two days of sore throat, then twenty-four hours of chills, then chest congestion, coughing, slight fever and runny nose.
Finally, the symptoms are diminishing.  I can't prove Pine-Sol is the culprit, but it's a hell of a coincidence.

I sent my sister a text about this and she replied "you think I actually clean the house?"

Same happened to me about a month ago and couldn’t figure out why. I don’t believe I was exposed to anyone who was sick (or had symptoms). Can’t really prove it was the cause. The number on my bottle was in the 18000’s.  

Threw my bottle out immediately 
 

The thing I will add that hasn't fully been mentioned yet is his courage and heart.
Epigonos grew up in a time, place, and career where it was not okay to be out.  So in addition to what others have said about his reservoirs of kindness and love for family, friends, and neighbors, there is his courage.  And heart.  I got a front row seat to watching him live out, and love out, all the things he might have wished to do when he was younger - if the world were different back then.  He was the world's biggest realist.  As well as in many ways the world's sweetest man, in disguise.  This forum and the friendships he made, both with fellow connoisseurs like him, and with the escorts he became close to, meant the world to him.
When I first met him a few decades ago I sometimes described him as a kid in a candy store.  He was.  And he loved it.  That took a sense of joy and a willingness to experiment.  But it also took courage to be willing to explore different facets of who he was.  And to make deep friendships that have now left many of us sad or heartbroken.  He built a Gay community of his own the same way he had built communities of family and friends and teachers and students.  One Christmas dinner and one plate of delicious bacon wrapped dates or deviled eggs at a time.  And no one will ever know about the time we hired a bar hooker and had to go to a sex hotel with an armed guard to play for an hour in Acapulco.  Oops!  I just said it.  I always admired the man's balls, heart, courage, and appetite for adventure.
One of the many sweetnesses about the sometimes gruff man we knew was the framed letter from Santa he kept on display under one of his many lavish Christmas trees.  Back in his childhood his Mommy had apparently written a letter to Santa, who I guess worked at some big LA department store at the time.  Santa typed back to young Eppy (it was decades before Santa got online, I guess) to inform him that he had been a good boy.  And so good things would be forthcoming.
He was a good boy, a devoted son, a loving brother, a gifted teacher, and a kind friend.  Many good things came forth, for decades.  I loved the letter in part because it exposed the tender heart and inner spirit that drove it all.  The man had courage, and lived his life with richness and love.

This whole thing about the medallion is only if you forget your login credentials, I think.  In any case, you can certainly use funds from either your credit union of Schwab to purchase Ibonds.
Kevin Slater

I’m sorry to hear this devastating news and thankful for the wonderful stories and tributes to highlight what a gracious person he was. Rest in Peace. 

I’m sorry to hear this devastating news and thankful for the wonderful stories and tributes to highlight what a gracious person he was. Rest in Peace. 

Yeah, the I bonds best fixed rate was around 3.5% from the mid to late 90s.  She may be referring to EE bonds for those high fixed rates.  
With I bonds, As long as the fixed rate is something and inflation doesn't reverse, it should pay something in any given year.  In the future, it may make sense to trade up to a higher fixed rate from zero.  
I'm viewing these as my future booze and stripper money in my 60s.  I will have my retirement acct and savings.  Viewing the bonds as the ultimate oh shit fund. By my 60s, I won't be able to take it with me so might as well put the money to work for my entertainment.