Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Giving up is unforgivable.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

How stupid are these people?

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Fight them, without becoming them!

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Update Regarding EFG: Rest in Peace

Update Regarding EFG: Rest in Peace

by | 214 Comments

This post is in: 

Commenter SuibhanDunne has just contacted me to let me know that efgoldman has passed. We have permission to share that ef’s real name was Peter Ross. His wife, the infamous Mrs. efd, called SuibhanDunne this morning to tell her that he went into sudden cardiac arrest and never came out of it. Peter’s wife wants you all to know that he’d received numerous cards and notes from you all and that made his last days much more bearable. Details are being worked for a memorial service somewhere near where he lived – so most likely either in Providence or Boston. Once we have them, we’ll post them here. Please keep Peter and his surviving family in your thoughts. Condolence cards can be sent to:

Marilyn Ross

32 Anthony Drive

Cumberland, RI 02864

More details to follow.

Update at 5:50 PM EDT

From Peter’s daughter in comment #85:

Hi there all,

My name is Kate Cox; I’m the journalist daughter in DC he enjoyed bragging on. I was going to make sure you all heard, but I see that’s handled.

I know very well what it is to live in an online home. I’ve had a series, since the early 1990s, and in fact the one I chose for myself in 1997 turned out to be where I met a boy who eventually grew up to be the man I married, in 2009.

I want to thank you all for being my dad’s. You meant a great deal to him.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

214Comments

  2. 2.

    geg6

    Goddam it. A truly good man is gone and that orange mother fucker is still smelling up the Oval Office. Goddam it.

    He has been and will be forever missed.

    Fuck ’em.

  4. 4.

    Ramalama

    Oh holy shitbird. My condolences! It just sucks, no matter where on the food chain (old? healthy? etc) EFG was. My mother in law lived till she was 84. We had time to prepare. When she died, it still felt like absolute heartbreak. My parents had a long slow decline. It remains a shitty lump-in-chest event everytime I think about them.

  5. 5.

    worn

    Damn it all to hell and back. There’s been far too much death as of late.

    Sleep the sleep of angels, Peter. You were one of the good ones.

  7. 7.

    dexwood

    Ah, damn. There goes another good one just when we need him most. Peace and strength to the Ross family. We’ll miss you efg.

  10. 10.

    Booger

    Rest easy. You helped make this snarling pack of vitriolic jackals what it was. You will be missed.

  14. 14.

    JPL

    @geg6: this fuck em We will carry on the tradition, but we will never master his snark. I’m so sorry for his family.

  15. 15.

    satby

    I hope his last days were made a bit better by knowing we loved and missed him. I certainly did. May his memory be a blessing to his family and us all.

  16. 16.

    Feathers

    How sad. They were both such nice people when I met them at the Boston meetup at Asgard.

  22. 22.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    Dammit. I’ll miss him. My sincere sympathy to his family; he made our lives better here.

  23. 23.

    spudgun

    This is just too much…this is a real kick in the teeth. Christ. Once again, I’m crying for someone I’ll never meet.

    So sorry for EFG’s family and friends, and also for us jackals who loved him so.

    Heartbroken. Rest in peace, efgoldman.

  28. 28.

    banditqueen

    Oh, I am so sad… peace to Peter’s family, his wife the singer, his daughter the journalist, son-in-law, grandchildren–Peter lived and loved well. I felt he spoke for me so many times and his fuckems will ring out whenever there is evil and vileness–it helps to rally the troops–thank you efg.
    Thank you SuibhanDunne and Mrs efg for helping us work through this.

  30. 30.

    sharl

    Aw damn.
    RIP, EFGoldman/Peter Ross. And deepest condolences to Mrs. Ross and other loved ones. EFG will be greatly missed.

  31. 31.

    H.E.Wolf

    RIP, and condolences to efg’s family. May his memory be a blessing.

    Please don’t any of the rest of you jackals go away any time soon.

  33. 33.

    West of the Rockies

    This blog was better for his presence. His wit and candor will be missed.

  35. 35.

    MazeDancer

    EFGoldman was as present, roaring, and alive as any alleged RL person one might meet.

    His voice has been missed. Such a tragedy it won’t be heard again. But we can always reprint something from the archives now and again, if needed.

    Hope he didn’t get to see Trump gloating over Barr.

    Great condolences to Mrs. Ross. Another thing that was very clear was how much he loved his family.

  39. 39.

    O. Felix Culpa

    I am so sad. The longer he was away, the more I worried about this outcome. EFG was my favorite curmudgeon (apologies to the rest of you BJ curmudgeons) and he will be sorely missed. I’ll raise a loud “fuckem” in his honor. May his memory be for a blessing.

  40. 40.

    joel hanes

    This world is gradually becoming a place
    where I do not care to be anymore. Can Delmore die?
    … the world is tref
    and grief too astray for tears.
    — John Berryman, Dream Song 149

    Ave atque vale.

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    I thought things were grim and depressing this morning, and now to find out that you are gone. Rest in peace, EF. You are loved.

  42. 42.

    Nathan M Norton

    All I do is lurk here, but I’ll miss him too. He had a way of making things a bit better.

  45. 45.

    J R in WV

    Ahh! SHIT!

    And fuck’em in the White House.

    So sad, on top of everything else. Now we have to work really hard for Schlamazel AND EFG to topple the illegitimate gooper in the Oval Office.

    You know they would want us to.

  47. 47.

    dmsilev

    Dammit. He was a good ‘un. RIP.

    Favorite moment was he and I discovering that at one point roughly 40 years ago, we lived about a block or so from each other.

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Many thanks to Adam for writing up this brief jackalbituary. I was crying much too hard to handle a phone keyboard, and anyhow I knew it needed to be front-paged, not lost down in the comments of a political or pet thread.

    I expect to talk with Marilyn again in the next day or two, and will pass along details on plans for Peter’s memorial service. Even through her grief this afternoon, she was insistent that I tell you all how much your cards and letters meant to Peter in the last several days of his life. I’m sure she’d be appreciative of a note of condolence if you feel so inclined.

    I feel privileged to have known efg a little bit IRL. Rest in well-earned peace, my friend.

  53. 53.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Rest in peace, Peter. “Fuck-em” just won’t be the same but I will be glad to always use the words with a mental nod to Peter for having taught us when it is appropriate to drop ’em.

  54. 54.

    Ohio Mom

    Even though, morbid soul that I am, I’d been long expecting this post — we all knew he was coping with a series of very serious conditions, that he was bedbound — it is still a kick in the gut. It’s hard knowing efg will never be back.

    Whenever I get frustrated at how long it is taking to rid us of Trump, I remember efg counseling us that Watergate took a long time too — I have internalized that, I carry that bit of him with me. It’s keeping me hopeful even now.

    My condolences to his wife, daughter, son-law-law and grandchildren. It was always very clear how much he loved his family, that they were what gave his life meaning.

  58. 58.

    Duane

    That’s really sad news. Efg will be well remembered. My symphathy to his family and friends.

  59. 59.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Virginia:

    The last paragraph is perfect! I was also struck by another familiar name in the article:

    The crew was thrown into the water, and one of them, safety officer Roger Stone, drowned while getting two student sailors to safety.

  60. 60.

    Anne Laurie

    EFG / Peter was a man who should’ve lived a thousand years, dammit.

    Condolences to Marilyn, and to his daughter & granddaughters.

    Also to you, SiubhanDuinne — you knew him better than we did, and I’m very grateful you shared the bad news so promptly, hard as it must have been.

    In Peter’s honor, a massive fuck’em to every two-bit miscreant and soulless ratfvcker currently investing the body politic!

  61. 61.

    JAFD

    RIP, Mr.Ross, ‘efg’. I shall miss him, and regret not being able to meet him in person.
    Sic transit gloria mundi…

  63. 63.

    MomSense

    This makes me so sad. I’ve missed his presence here and was so looking forward to having him back with us. Condolences to Mrs efg, their daughter, SIL and grandchildren.

    I’m crying for someone I’ve never met IRl. This one hurts a lot.

    Fuck em.

  64. 64.

    Ruckus

    Damn it all to hell.
    Some people should just live forever.
    Rest in Peace Peter.
    Always remember that a Fuckem is almost always appropriate.
    And welcome often even when it isn’t.

    Fuckem. That is all.

  65. 65.

    japa21

    Even with all the crap of the last couple days, this is far and away the worst news.

    Condolences to the family,and thank you SD for letting Adam know,

  67. 67.

    CaseyL

    I am heartbroken. EFG was a treasure.

    Notice to all the other Jackals, and that definitely includes the front pagers: STAY HEALTHY. BE CAREFUL. STICK AROUND.

    Honestly, I can’t take much more.

  75. 75.

    Shana

    I met EFG and Mrs. EFG at a DC meetup a couple of years ago. What a sweetheart and so sorry to hear this. His joy at life was infectious and his love for his family, especially the grandkid(s) was palpable. He will be sorely missed.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: I wanted to refer to him as you bastard, but I worried that someone might take it wrong. I pinned my hopes on your saying it, but coot works as well.

  78. 78.

    CaseyL

    Swear I went in and deleted that question about where to send cards after re-reading Adam’s post and seeing he gave it already.

    Sorry the deletion doesn’t seem to’ve taken.

  81. 81.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @The Dangerman: I second that we should have a rotating tag “Fuckem” or “As efgoldman would say, fuckem” in his honor. Ave atque vale.

  82. 82.

    CatFacts

    RIP. I remember him from way back, when I was lurking at Coates’ place. I didn’t know he was a boat-builder. My best to his family, and a toast for a life well-lived.

  83. 83.

    Aleta

    A huge loss.

    @Ramalama: true and well said

    @SiubhanDuinne: Much thanks to you. My condolences.
    No pressure, but if you ever felt like linking to some of the music he loved I’d like to remember him by listening. I could search for it myself I know. Always loved his chosen nym.

  85. 85.

    EFG Jr.

    Hi there all,

    My name is Kate Cox; I’m the journalist daughter in DC he enjoyed bragging on. I was going to make sure you all heard, but I see that’s handled.

    I know very well what it is to live in an online home. I’ve had a series, since the early 1990s, and in fact the one I chose for myself in 1997 turned out to be where I met a boy who eventually grew up to be the man I married, in 2009.

    I want to thank you all for being my dad’s. You meant a great deal to him.

  86. 86.

    Ruckus

    @sukabi:
    Good question.
    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Adam
    If you hear from his wife, anything we can do……

    I feel like I lost a brother. I don’t know what having a brother is like but it feels like losing one.

  87. 87.

    p.a.

    Fuck. Condolences to his biological family and his family here.
    I live 8 fucking miles away and never met him: some of the Mass meetups weren’t doable, and a few were inconvenient. “I can always make the next one.”
    Fuck

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    @EFG Jr.: I’m going to put this up top in the post itself.

    Again: my sincerest condolences. We’re keeping you all in our thoughts.

  91. 91.

    MomSense

    @EFG Jr.:

    Thank you for checking in on us. I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope it’s a small comfort that we are grieving with you. Please tell your mom how sorry we are. Keeping your family very close in my thoughts.

  92. 92.

    HRA

    My sincere condolences to Mrs. Ross, the family and friends.

    Yes, efg often made the days with his wit, ways and the curse. He was unique and I missed him a while back.
    May he be given eternal rest and peace.

  93. 93.

    scav

    Damn, I might say RIP, but then I somehow think it’d be more characteristic for him to continuing to raise a little rabble.

  94. 94.

    Betty Cracker

    That is terrible news. He was such a great guy — funny, irreverent, and with a refreshing no-bullshit attitude. He used to scold me for whining about (really terrible!) referee calls, noting that whining is for losers. He definitely lived that creed. He spoke so fondly of his wife and daughter, and was so excited about his grandchildren when they came along. It’s a shame the grandkids didn’t get to enjoy his company for more years. I’m sure his family knows how much he loved them, which is the only thing that helps during an awful time like this.

  96. 96.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @sukabi:

    Thank you for asking. Daughter (and nursing grandson) are on their way at this very moment, so things are probably okay for Marilyn at the moment. But some of us know from bitter experience that it’s after the relatives depart and the services have concluded and the funeral meats have been consumed that the horrible aloneness sets in. That would be a welcome time to see what she might need and what we can do.

  97. 97.

    Anotherlurker

    I always enjoyed EFG/Ross’s perspective on world events. It is a true tragedy that another good person dies and conservative scum flourish.
    “Fuck ’em.”
    RIP, EFG.
    I hope to be 1/2 the Crumudgeon you were.

  102. 102.

    FelonyGovt

    Aww, what terrible news. May his memory be a blessing. Condolences to his RL family and to his jackal family.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    @EFG Jr.:
    So sorry for your loss.
    I see you have his sense of humor and honor, what with your posting name.
    He meant a lot to us as well.

  105. 105.

    Leto

    Well, fuck. Fuck. My heart goes out to his family. I loved reading what he had to say, about almost anything. “Fuck’em”

  106. 106.

    sharl

    @EFG Jr.: My condolences Kate. It means a lot having you check in here. I’m sure you’ll continue to validate your dad’s bragging rights. Take care.
    ??????????

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @EFG Jr.:

    (First of all, your nym is perfection.)

    I am heartsick for you, your kids, and your mom. Just so desperately sorry for this hard loss.

    Peter and I had both a previous career (radio) and a real-life friend in common, and I was lucky enough to join your folks for a great dinner a few years ago when I visited Rhode Island for the first time, and again in Watertown, MA for a Balloon-Juice meetup shortly thereafter. What a treat!

    I needn’t say it, but I shall anyhow: he was insanely proud of you, and utterly besotted by the grandkids. The efg granddaughter will have some great memories of him as she grows older. The efg grandson is too young, I expect, but I hope you’ll tell him often how very much his grandpa loved him.

    Kate, I am kind of the default conduit here for efg-related news, so feel free to email me with memorial plans: SiubhanDuinne (at) gmail (dot) com. Your mom can give you my phone number.

    {{{{{Hugs}}}}} to you and yours.

  110. 110.

    trollhattan

    A good man, a quick wit and a truth-teller of deep conviction. I’m sorry we’ll no longer have you here with us in hard times (so very many of those) and good.

    R.I.P. Peter Ross, you are deeply missed.

  111. 111.

    Mandarama

    Dammit all to hell. Oh Lord, I’m so sorry to hear this news. I’ll miss his voice here so much.

    All my sympathy to his beloved family.

  112. 112.

    Barbara

    Condolences to everyone in the Ross family, who will each miss EF in their own way, as will we. I’m sorry he had to endure so much over the last year.

  114. 114.

    trollhattan

    @EFG Jr.:
    Terrible circumstances in which to meet you, but thanks very much Kate for visiting us and blessings and condolences to you and your family. You’ve figured out by now your father is held in high regard here, King of the Jackals, if you will.

  115. 115.

    Steeplejack

    This is sad news. RIP, efg.

    I had the great pleasure of going to lunch with Peter and his wife, Marilyn, when they were here in NoVA in 2016. It was interesting to put a face to the nym. Both were charming and gracious, and we had a great time. Efg will be sorely missed, and I hope that Marilyn will come around here sometime, if she feels like it.

  116. 116.

    Steeplejack

    @EFG Jr.:

    Thank you for your kind words. Condolences to you and your family. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you—on line or in real life. Several of us live here in the D.C. area and would be happy to be of assistance.

    And, for consideration when things settle down, is there some cause or institution to which efg would like to see donations go? It pleases me to think of somebody getting a windfall of gifts all tagged “Fuck ’em – efgoldman.”

  117. 117.

    Another Scott

    Very sad news. Peace to his family and all who knew him. He was a big part of the family here and will be greatly missed.

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  118. 118.

    banditqueen

    @EFG Jr.: Peace to all of you, you, your 2 children, husband, mom–your dad saw things in a new way with grandchildren, was more determined than ever to see them grow up in a world they could make more just, fair, loving, safe, and enduring. He felt we must work hard to get there. We will.

  119. 119.

    Mel

    @SiubhanDuinne: That’s so true. It’s after the initial flurry of visitors leave, and awful but immediately necessary planning and activity is over, when you’re left alone with your memories and thoughts, that the enormity and reality of the loss sets in. I wonder if there is anything that long distancers can do that might make it a little bit easier for Mrs. EFG? Maybe something like setting up a little fund to pool resources and get some restaurant gift cards for her for nights when she doesn’t feel like cooking?

  122. 122.

    Ruckus

    @Steeplejack:

    It pleases me to think of somebody getting a windfall of gifts all tagged “Fuck ’em – efgoldman.”

    That does sound like something he would have enjoyed, a gift and the thought that counts.

  124. 124.

    zhena gogolia

    @Steeplejack:

    When I sent him a card a while back, I included his signature phrase, and after I sent it, I thought, “Oh, no, his family is going to think I’m terrible if they see that!”

  125. 125.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mel:

    That’s a great idea. I’ll bet she’d appreciate that. A week or two ago, after she had spent much of the day at efg’s hospital bedside, she mentioned that she was going to treat herself to a proper restaurant dinner because she just didn’t feel like cooking for herself.

  128. 128.

    pluky

    To borrow a benediction from another of my regular blogs:

    “May the Goddess Guard Him. May He Find His Way to the Summerlands. May His Friends and Family Know Peace.”

  130. 130.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    No, not at all. Joke, I think. “Peter Ross” can’t be that uncommon a name. (Nor, as I kind of noted in my comment on the article, is “Roger Stone.”)

    @A Ghost To Most:

    Now efg can get back to arguing with General Stuck.

    Oh, Lordy. Schlemazel, Stuck, and efg all yelling over each other. It’s enough to make a Tunch laugh.

  132. 132.

    J R in WV

    @EFG Jr.:

    Thanks so much for writing us. We loved the old bastard, and miss him a lot. Many tears being shed, and drinks being poured.

    You guys take care, and know that we care too!!

  133. 133.

    Drunkenhausfrau

    I am so sorry. We seem to have a run of sad news.

    This is a great online community. Your humor in spite of sadness gives me hope. Not sure why… but it does.

  134. 134.

    Kathleen

    @EFG Jr.: My deepest condolences to you, your mother, your husband and children. Your father’s love for his grandkids and pride in you burst through the pixels and bathed my screen with the light of his love for all of you. Sending love and prayers and holding EFG family in light.

  135. 135.

    Ajabu

    Muthafuck!!
    As little as I comment, I loved me some EFG.
    Caustic wit is deeply appreciated here.
    RIP, glorious jackal.
    And, of course: FUCKEM…

  136. 136.

    Ohio Mom

    @pluky: I am a lurker at Hecate Demetersdatte too!

    This is not the first time I have discovered an unknown connection at a visitation, though definitely the first time virtually.

  137. 137.

    Leto

    @SiubhanDuinne: A restaurant, grocery store, or gas station? Avalune received all three while I was in the hospital and they all helped. Not having to think about food or gas helped quite a bit.

  138. 138.

    SFAW

    @EFG Jr.:
    Dear Kate –
    I am so sad to see this news.

    Deepest condolences to you and your mom. His love for both of you (and your beautiful daughter) was immense, as was his pride at being your father/husband/grandfather.

  139. 139.

    thalarctosMaritimus

    @Virginia: that’s a great quote.

    I’m very sorry to hear the news. He was a good man.

    May his memory be a blessing.

  140. 140.

    satby

    Schlemazel, Stuck, and efg all yelling over each other. It’s enough to make a Tunch laugh.

    Now that gives me comfort.?

  142. 142.

    Kattails

    @EFG Jr.: Oh no. He was such a distinctive voice here and there has been a void in his absence. He will be deeply missed. I am so very sorry for your loss. Thank you for writing at such a sad time.

  146. 146.

    Gin & Tonic

    Damn. Just saw this. And I’d gone out at lunchtime to buy a card to send. Was going to mail it tomorrow. Damn.

  147. 147.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Steeplejack: He worked in radio in Boston, then left that and worked for an investment company he never named but which locals knew as Fidelity.

  148. 148.

    boatboy_srq

    As MB would say, holding him and his in the light.

    I met both EFGs in DC a few years ago. A more wondrous, raucous pair I have not met in some time. The EFG whose snarkery forged us here was the same in person but unshackled by the comment box.

  149. 149.

    Citizen_X

    Damn. All sympathy to his family and friends. And on a day when the bastards are crowing because they have (temporarily) managed to hide the truth, a hearty “fuckem” in his honor. Hound them back to hell, Peter.

  150. 150.

    Mnemosyne

    I was afraid of this. I’m so sorry for his family and we will miss him every day.

  151. 151.

    boatboy_srq

    @EFG Jr.: Welcome, brava!, and join us as often as you can. There are a few among the commentariat in DC; let us know if we can help.

  153. 153.

    Mnemosyne

    Since this is the terrible Balloon-Juice news thread anyway, I just realized that the Sandy Hook father who committed suicide was a friend of greenNotGreen. I recognized the name of their foundation.

  154. 154.

    feebog

    Well this sucks. What a loss for this online community. My condolences to the family. EFG is going to be missed.

  157. 157.

    TomatoQueen

    @SiubhanDuinne: RIP efgoldman and a fuckem to a universe who would take him away. Thanks so much to you SiubhanDuinne for being the bridge to Marilyn, love to her and the children and grandbabies. And finally, in the words of E. B. White on the death of his boss Harold Ross:
    All right Ross. God bless you.

  161. 161.

    Lapassionara

    So sorry to hear this. Daggummit! I was on a plane until just a bit ago, and missed this. I loved his posts over the years I was just a lurker. Courage, all.

  163. 163.

    Svensker

    I am really sorry to hear this. Haven’t been around much lately but I always enjoyed efgoldman’s posts. Salutes to his wife and daughter and the rest of his family. He was a good guy and will be very missed.

  165. 165.

    Wolvesvalley

    I have been missing EFG’s “voice” and hoping I would “hear” it again. I am so very sorry to know that it won’t happen. Many condolences to his family and all who loved him in real life.

    Say hello to General Stuck and Schlemazel for us, EFG, and give Tunch and Walter a scritch or two.

  166. 166.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Shana: I met him at I think the same meetup, walking distance from Union Station, insanely loud Irish bar, no?

    Damnittohell. Too soon by many moons. RIP, efg – Peter.

  167. 167.

    Gin & Tonic

    Can’t link on phone, but if you Google “concord band Peter Ross” the first link there will have some information about his long career in Boston radio.

  168. 168.

    piratedan

    what do you say? condolences seem so incredibly trite, yet in a very real way we’ve lost part of our family. Because that’s how we are, one big boisterous bickering family who all more or less agree on the big things and can swim in the details.

    For all that met him, that’s what makes the meetups so special, you can make the connection even deeper, but it doesn’t detract from the ones made here, it just supplements them.

    We feel saddened by his leaving but better for having known him.

  170. 170.

    CaseyL

    @Wolvesvalley: Does the BJ Family of Jackals have a bespoke spot in the bardo? Humans and their critters? Something to look forward to, ensure the afterlife doesn’t get boring or lonely.

    Gotta say, though, I wonder about versions of The Afterward where we’re supposed to be reunited with all of the pets we’ve loved. Most of those pets would not love one another, no sirree. I’ve had a number of kitties who were possessive little beasts, and shudder to think of them meeting.

  173. 173.

    Miss Bianca

    Oh, damn. So sorry to hear this. I was hoping against hope we would get one more “fuck em” in real time from our efg. My condolences to his family.

  174. 174.

    Hob

    I’m very sorry to hear that. I mostly lurk here so I’m not sure if I ever exchanged any words with efg, but he was a familiar voice for years and always a pleasure to read (well, except for some times when I’m pretty sure he did not want to be a pleasure to read).

  175. 175.

    Miss Bianca

    @O. Felix Culpa: I think we’ll have to find a brunch spot that will allow us Mimosas or Bloody Marys this Sunday. And may “fuck em” be our first toast!

  176. 176.

    Ghost of Joe Lieblings Dog

    Oh, damn, damn … I am so sorry. Deepest sympathies to the Ross / EFG family.

  177. 177.

    Steeplejack

    @Gin & Tonic:

    That’s the guy that Virginia quotes in the article about the Texas A&M boat capsizing. He designed and/​or built the boat.

  181. 181.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @EFG Jr.: I’m getting to this thread very late. I can only imagine how chaotic your life is with two tots and travel (their father can only help so much) at this sorrowful time. You are terribly kind to tell us that this was your father’s online home. Please give your mother our best.

    And I’m sure you know that your father thought you hung the moon. His love for and pride in you radiated through the text. We miss him horribly, and your family is in our thoughts.

  182. 182.

    opiejeanne

    Aw man. I’ve missed him for these many months. I know we all have.

    Listen up, you mugs: NO MORE DYING!

    I’m crying now.

  183. 183.

    Ohio Mom

    @EFG Jr.: Lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com also has a memorial thread up. I have never spent gobs of time there but I do remember seeing your Dad commenting periodically.

    LGM can be a very snarky place; they do not suffer fools, and they can be something of a clique. That they are missing efg says a lot about efg, and how strongly his insights and wit resonated.

  184. 184.

    randy khan

    Nuts. Condolences to his family and friends.

    He was a great presence. He will be missed.

  186. 186.

    Mary G

    Oh, real life made me miss this thread and when I read Mnem’s reference to it in the one about the giant bull at the pet store, my reaction was

    NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

    I’ll miss him so much here. He tried so hard to be a curmudgeon, but was always kind and thoughtful. Glad he got to spend Christmas with the apple of his eye and her new baby brother.

    It is a travesty that efg is gone and Dick Cheney is still defending the Iraq War.

  187. 187.

    Suzanne

    Oh FUCK are you kidding me?!?! This is so terrible.

    My condolences to Marilyn, Kate, and the whole family. I’m so, so sorry.

  188. 188.

    The Fat Kate Middleton

    I’m sitting here crying, trying to explain to may husband why that is. So very, very sorry, Ross family. Fuck. Just fuck.

  189. 189.

    Ruckus

    @Mary G:
    The good always go first. And leave the rest for us to deal with.

    He lived a long and obviously a good life. He left memories that will not be soon forgotten and will be remembered fondly. What else is there?

  191. 191.

    dww44

    @geg6: Like other commenters I fully endorse your sentiments
    Sympathy to efg’s wife, his daughter, and the rest of his family.@Virginia:Thanks for sharing that article and the photo of Ross matches my mental pic from his posts here. Edit the last comment out. Seems that the boat builder Peter Ross is not efg.

  192. 192.

    Davis X. Machina

    I always wondered whether Peter Ross was his real name. All through my HS and college and early adult life, he was on my radio (WBUR) most every night. The best classical announcer ever. Robert J. Lurtsema couldn’t carry his jock.

  193. 193.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Davis X. Machina: I once expressed a sort of affection for Robert J., and promptly got my ass handed to me. Probably deservedly, but I used to have a very early-morning Saturday drive quite regularly, and the chirping birds were kind of an aural milestone.

  194. 194.

    Davis X. Machina

    @Davis X. Machina: Long before we two ever met, my wife was listening to him — she was up late doing Greek at Wellesley, and I was up late, listening to him, doing Greek at Holy Cross.

    My ringtone — 35 years on — is the overture to Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, one of his sign-on tunes. His show meant that much to me.

  195. 195.

    Davis X. Machina

    @Gin & Tonic: Lursema was known locally as “Loathsome j. Toad”…. I am assured it was well-founded.

    But I liked the birds. And he had a Mozart wind piece — serenade, cassation, or the like — as a sign-on that was my alarm clock for yoinks.

  196. 196.

    Tehanu

    So sorry to hear this. EFG’s comments were always well worth reading — humane and intelligent.

  198. 198.

    Wolvesvalley

    @CaseyL: I like to think that The Afterward will have mellowed my dear departed furries. (Actually, it was only my first cat that Absolutely. Would. Not. Tolerate. any other of her species.)

  199. 199.

    suezboo

    I don’t comment often but I read daily. I know how much this pack of jackals will miss one of its most outspoken, gruff curmudgeons. efgoldman, Peter Ross, you will be missed and remembered, even by us lurkers. RIP. Fuck’em.

  201. 201.

    proportionwheel

    Cross posted at LGM and here:

    I have no words other than expletives, and this feebly expressed hope for some comfort for his family. I obviously didn’t know him—blog comments no matter how trenchant are only a minor manifestation of the person who makes them, but after years of reading his comments, I know he was a mensch, however curmudgeonly, and some sort of inspiration to this fellow old fart. I’ve missed him and will miss him.

  202. 202.

    Debbie(Aussie)

    I am sadder than I am able to convey! To his wife, Marilyn his daughter, Kate, her husband and his beloved grandchildren my deepest condolences. May his many friends here at his online home be of a little solace to you.
    As coincidences often happen in life, a small one; my husbands first and middle names are Ross Peter. Much love to you all, Debbie.

  203. 203.

    SFBayAreaGal

    I just saw this now and my heart aches for your loss and our loss. I will miss efg/Peter Ross. To his wife, Marilyn his daughter, Kate, her husband and his beloved grandchildren my deepest condolences and sympathies.

  205. 205.

    e julius drivingstorm

    @Virginia:

    Thanks for finding this. Great article. I’d have trusted Peter Ross to build the Pequod for Ahab. He was stable where it counts.

  206. 206.

    Elizabelle

    Godspeed to a valiant soul. It is a pleasure to have met him, and the talented Mrs. R, in real life. (Alexandria VA meetup.)

    All the best to his beloved family. He did not get enough time to see his grandkids grow up, but made the best of every moment he could.

    Except when he was wasting his time. Here with us. Peter will be missed. Irreplaceable.

  208. 208.

    Wanderer

    my deepest sympathy to the Ross family. I was anticipating efg’s return to BJ post. So sorry that won’t come to pass.

  209. 209.

    lurker dean

    i totally missed this this weekend. rest in peace, EFG, and condolences to his family.

  211. 211.

    Mai Naem mobile

    Jeezus, I just saw a comment on another thread. I am just really saddened by the passing of EFG. I haven’t been on BJ that much recently because of,well, life but I used to look for a post from him and was getting concerned about his health. RIP Peter Ross. You were. a decent human being who is gone way too young. Condolences to your wife, daughter and the rest of his family and friends.

  212. 212.

    Yutsano

    FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!

    I remember how we bonded our sharing the grand invention of the sousaphone that we both happen to play. It was like we had our own secret society, which really I share with Flying Toaster on here as well. It always hurts to lose a fellow band geek, especially one with such stories.

    Baruch Dayan Emet ya old codger. May the next existence be filled with music and love.

  213. 213.

    The Golux

    @Virginia:

    Talk about the picture in your head of the person you’ve never met IRL not matching with the real person. Wow.

    (Typed through welling eyes).

    Fuckem, indeed.

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  1. […] Word has come down that our long time commenter efgoldman has died. I knew his health was pretty shaky and that he had been in and out of the hospital, but certainly didn’t know it was this serious. He was a long-time commenter at LGM and other blogs and I know many of you had known him in the internet community for a long time. So I wanted to make sure that we had a post on his passing. Share […]