Epigonos has left us.

[+ Lucky]

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

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

@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.  

[RyanDean]

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.

 

[+ Ace]

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. 

[+ keroscenefire]

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. 

[+ sf westcoaster]

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.  

[+ Dane Scott]

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

[leeper]

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.

[+ Billsboy4]

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

[+ Tygerscent]

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~ 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Tygerscent

[+ jrhoutex]

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.  

Edited October 27, 2022 by jrhoutex
typo

[Mercury]

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. 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Mercury

[BasketBaller]

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

[+ Charlie]

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.

[+ stevenkesslar]

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.

[MikeBiDude]

35 minutes ago, stevenkesslar said:

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.

I will only add @stevenkesslar that when I asked who he had the best time with he would *gush” “Kesslar!” with emotion!

[Guest]

So sad to hear that. He was my favorite person on this message center, and the only member "Chris" and I really got to know well. He only came to our place once (he didn't like the drive), but he hosted us generously a few times. He was always full of his interesting tales. He came out later in life, but certainly made up for lost time! He lovingly liked to share his photo book of all of his men. I will definitely miss him much, and "Chris" feels likewise. Sad, sad day for myself, and for many others, I'm sure. Such a kind, generous man.

[youngboldone]

Oliver, you've been in my thoughts all day.  Losing a dear friend is never easy.  Although the grief is fresh, in time I know you will find comfort in all the memories of the wonderful times you and Epigonos shared together.  It is a testament to him that, even though I only met and interacted with him a handful of times, he left an impression on me such that I am feeling so sad and melancholy today to know he is no longer with us.   I loved his candor, his flair for storytelling, and his epicurean talents.  As others have said, there was a genuine warmth about Epigonos that made you feel at ease and happy in his presence.  I can only hope to live out the rest of my life as adventurously and unabashedly as he did!  He will be missed.

[BuffaloKyle]

Very sad and shocked to hear this. His last posts on here I see were him texting some providers to possibly get together with so I can tell it was very sudden and unexpected! R.I.P. 🙏

[Rod Hagen]

I love all these remembrances.  He hired me long long ago, we had a great time and I was very happy to have met this wonderful man.

[+ leo2510]

Oliver, I'm so very sorry for the loss of your dear friend, and sorry for the loss that we all have now, an admired friend taken far too soon. It's getting to be a constant, learning of yet another life ending- far too many being taken from us, and the pain of knowing that there are no new memories forthcoming. The memory we have will have to carry us through this - Godspeed to a good, generous man who lived life to the fullest, an admirable soul and a true gentleman.

[+ FreshFluff]

@Oliver, I am so sad to read this. He was thoughtful and extremely intelligent. I always enjoyed his stories about teaching high school classes, and I had hoped to meet him.

Please accept my condolences. 

Edited October 27, 2022 by FreshFluff

[nate_sf]

Oh man, say it isn’t so! He was a one-of-a-kind gentleman, and such a hoot. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. 

Condolences to @Oliver and all others who knew and loved this special man, and were loved by him. This guy set the standard for how to live life well and to the fullest. He’ll be missed but fondly remembered. 

[Phil_musc]

Just seeing this today - Thursday. Oliver, so sorry for your loss. He was a warm and friendly man who I exchanged private messages with a number of times. He is one of the ones on this board that I wish I had had the opportunity to meet in person. I am saddened but yet the many tributes written by others here offer some small condolence in that it was clear that he touched many people's lives and made them better. Just trying to process the abruptness of this loss.

[robberbaron4u]

The rest is silence. Requiem aeternam done ei.

Edited October 28, 2022 by robberbaron4u