Rest in Peace Bill "Epoman" Halcomb

[goofynina]

Dear friends of IHD,  I am sorry to have to tell you all that today, March 2, 2007,  our beloved Bill "Epoman" Halcomb passed away.  He fell ill last Saturday with what they said was a viral infection.   When i last talked to Trina, they werent quite sure what the reason of his death was but she will let me know sometime soon.  Please say a prayer for our friend "Epoman" (my Sucka Fish)  May God Bless Trina and Nick at this moment of need.   

Goofynina/Susie

[Ohio Buckeye]

Oh, No.  I hardly have words right now.
I feel so bad, so shocked, disbelief.   
Epoman just wanted to see Epokid off to college.
What a man of strength, courage and determination he was.
An inspiration to all of us. 
I am so sorry to hear this.
The family will be in my prayers and thoughts.

Sincerely, Jan

[Joe Paul]

WOW.....I am at a loss, May God Bless the Epofamily.

[livecam]

Bill singlehandedly did more for our community of patients than any other individual one can think of.

Because of his work, renal patients around the world are better informed and have more of a global sense of community than they have ever had before.  They have been educated, informed, and comforted in a way that just never existed before.

Bill wanted this site to continue after his death and assured that it would continue by wisely planning for the future of IHD.

Those of us who just heard about Bill's passing are shocked.  Our prayers are with his wife and son.  

[glitter]

I am shocked and saddened by our Dear Friend leaving us so soon...I will pray for his family.

This is the saddest day.................Goodbye my friend.

[tamara]

Well I am sitting at the computer crying and in disbelief.

My thoughts are with Bill's Family.

Fellow members this is when we need to keep going strong and to Epomans ideals of what the site meant to him.

Support also goes out to our fellow Admin Team, Thanks for being there for Bill and keep on keeping on for IHD.

Love Tamara xxx ooo

RIP EPOMAN

P.S I  know it needs to be resized do it, but I didn't want to do it

[angela515]

Wow.. Im very shocked and saddened. My prayers are with the family. God bless.

[shay_pcb]

This is a joke, right? That can't be true........I don't know what to say......

[tubes]

OMG.... disbelief     my prayers go out to Epomans' Family.
May God Bless You in your time of need. 


Robert

[jbeany]

The world is missing one more superhero now.

All my love to Nick and Trina. . .

 

[angieskidney]

You can't be serious! This would explain why he hasn't gotten back to me! You can't be serious! That is all I can say! I mean.. why him?? WTF!?!?! He is MY AGE!! WHy do people keep dying that are MY AGE!!!

I am sorry but I just found out and I am crying. Epoman and I were just getting along! You can't be serious!!!!!!

Please say it isn't so!!!



edit: Thanks Shay for posting on my forums to let me know. I was busy with an antivirus problem so I didn't check the posts here today.

My prayers are with the Halcomb family. I know Bill really wanted to watch his son grow up! This just isn't fair!!

I want to send an e-card or something.

Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe Rerun can send a card and inside have all of our condolences in it that we can send to her in email for her to write in the card??

[sandman]

  This can't be.  Is someone pulling my leg?  I just can't believe epoman has passed on.



God bless you Bill for starting this site and getting so many people involve with your life.  God bless you and your family sir.  You WILL be missed and in my prayers tonight.  May you finally rest in piece.

[kitkatz]

God bless the family of Epoman
In their time of sorrow and pain.
He did a lot for us here on this board
Creating it and watching it.
I know he loved us as much as his own family.
May God give him his just rewards.

[kitkatz]

Please let us know what funeral plans are.  He lived in So. CA and I would like to attend his funeral or memorial service.

[Sara]

I'm so sorry to hear about this.    My deepest condolences to EpoFamily.  

[Zach]

All my love to his family.

[Wattle]

   I am saddened by the sudden passing of our friend Bill. My heart is with you Trina and Nick.

For EPOMAN :

Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again, May God hold
you in the hollow of his hand

[Bill Peckham]

I hate this but I guess it is our fate we members of the online renal community. I'm pretty new to this corner of the web (lurking much longer than I've been posting) but I’ve participated in the online dialysis community since 1995. The thing I tell myself again and again is that I am better off having known him and lost him then to have never known him.

Thank you for letting us know you Epoman. It isn’t an easy thing to live in the open on the web and Epoman wore his emotions on his sleeve posting what he thought and encouraging others to do like-wise (of course after spell checking). That took guts.

Any time you write it’s just a snap shot of what you’re thinking at that moment and you risk being misunderstood. Epoman took his kidney journey in public and took us along for the ride. That took guts.

I’m glad Epoman let us know him.

Epoman made a mark, not all of us will be able to say that when God comes and cuts us down. Rest in Peace Epoman. My thoughts are with your family tonight.

[okarol]

This really sucks.
It breaks my heart.
God speed Bill.

[angieskidney]

Nice pic! That is the one Epoman showed me just a week and a half ago and told me that was taken when he was still able to walk! His son is such a cutie!

I think pics are a GREAT way to remember him! Any more?

[okarol]

Billy 1993

[melshell]

I sit here in utter disbelief!! I'm fairly new to the community, so the memory of sheer elation at literally stumbling across this group is still fresh. In the beginning, I was petrified! The very thought of dialysis scared me to death! I can honestly say that IHD saved my life. Before stumbling across this website, I had determined that I WOULD NOT, I COULD NOT face a life dependent upon dialysis. I was quite adamant about it because all that I knew of dialysis, or had allowed myself to learn about dialysis, consisted of in-center hemodialysis and I simply could not accept that. Through other members accounts and their experiences, I learned about modalities of treatment that existed beyond in-center treatment, and discovered that there WAS life beyond dialysis. I may not post very often, but I read constantly, and this site continues to be a source of great encouragement and comfort to me. I instantly admired Epoman for creating this site, and because of his strength and his courage I found the courage to fight my own battle. Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with Epoman in the chatroom, along with some of the other members. It was simple, silly, playful banter, but I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe that I was actually chatting with EPOMAN, as well as other members whose posts I had read, and re-read, and whom I'd come to idolize. I just cannot believe that he's gone...I hope somehow, that even by some small measure, he knows how much his life, his experiences, the wisdom he shared, and his work in creating and developing this site has meant. If for none other than myself, as this site is my ongoing hope that I will conquer this dreaded disease, and I am eternally grateful to him for creating a place where we can draw strength from each other. My most sincere, heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family. He will be dearly and sadly missed.
Melissa

[charee]

I'm in total shock quite can't believe what i just read  my thoughts are with Trina and Nick and to you all

[Triker]

I'm so, so sorry. His site's and his beliefs has done a great service to the diaysis community. He will be greatly missed. My prayers go out to Epo's family.

[Bajanne]

I just don't know what to say.  I am in a state of total shock.  I just saw a PM from Goofynina telling me about it.  Just incomprehensible - how could Epoman pass away?    My prayers and thoughts are with his family and his IHD family.
Not Epoman, not now.......
My brain is in a state of utter confusion at this time.

But I thank God for all that Epoman has meant to me personally and to those of us facing the renal challenge.  He was a forward looking person and always said that he wanted to leave a site that would continue even after his death.  And imagine that it was just recently that he made Goofynina an Administrator.  Pro-active pre-emptive move. 
What a person!  We have been privileged to have known him.