RIP LeLiLo July 22, 2019 8:12 AM Subscribe
Sorry to report that longtime member LeLiLo (nee Richard Sassaman) passed away Sunday unexpectedly, apparently from a heart attack. He was 70.
He loved this community and was proud of his 4-digit user #. In my last email from him, he was complaining that I had been favorited more than he, despite a 5-year head start. In the early days of the internet, he would often email me some interesting link, and usually it started with www.metafilter.com, and that's how I ended up here as well. He was my older brother, and influenced me a lot in those kind of ways.
So long, it's been good to know ya.
He loved this community and was proud of his 4-digit user #. In my last email from him, he was complaining that I had been favorited more than he, despite a 5-year head start. In the early days of the internet, he would often email me some interesting link, and usually it started with www.metafilter.com, and that's how I ended up here as well. He was my older brother, and influenced me a lot in those kind of ways.
So long, it's been good to know ya.
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posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:16 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:16 AM on July 22, 2019
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So sorry for your family's loss, MtDewd.
posted by cooker girl at 8:19 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
So sorry for your family's loss, MtDewd.
posted by cooker girl at 8:19 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oh, sad. We had some lovely personal interchanges about New England history, about which he was a font of knowledge - a truly informed and enthusiastic person. I am sorry for his family and loved ones.
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posted by Miko at 8:31 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by Miko at 8:31 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by Frayed Knot at 8:35 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by Frayed Knot at 8:35 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by supermedusa at 8:44 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by supermedusa at 8:44 AM on July 22, 2019
so sorry for your loss
posted by supermedusa at 8:44 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by supermedusa at 8:44 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:13 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:13 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:13 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:13 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by lucy.jakobs at 9:17 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by lucy.jakobs at 9:17 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by something something at 9:21 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by something something at 9:21 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by Gordafarin at 9:23 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by Gordafarin at 9:23 AM on July 22, 2019
May you find comfort in warm memories of your brother.
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posted by NoraCharles at 9:25 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by NoraCharles at 9:25 AM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:07 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:07 AM on July 22, 2019
I'm the same age and joined 10 days after him. Sorry we all have lost him.
posted by beagle at 10:31 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by beagle at 10:31 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by SuperSquirrel at 10:35 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by SuperSquirrel at 10:35 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by misteraitch at 10:41 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by misteraitch at 10:41 AM on July 22, 2019
I was lucky enough to meet LeLiLo a few times at meetups in Vermont, including one at jessamyn's place in 2007. Here is a photo jessamyn took of Richard at that event that I like a great deal, and one Eideteker took of LeLiLo holding a shoutout sign... including you, MtDewd.
Rest in peace, friend. My deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved him.
posted by terrapin at 10:48 AM on July 22, 2019 [16 favorites]
Rest in peace, friend. My deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved him.
posted by terrapin at 10:48 AM on July 22, 2019 [16 favorites]
Any time a Mefite dies, our community is diminished.
Rest in peace.
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posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 11:21 AM on July 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
Rest in peace.
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posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 11:21 AM on July 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
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posted by ChuraChura at 11:29 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by ChuraChura at 11:29 AM on July 22, 2019
So sorry for your loss, MtDewd. It feels strange and wrong to lose a sibling, I know. Hang in there. Peace.
posted by heyho at 11:30 AM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by heyho at 11:30 AM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by Rock Steady at 11:39 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by Rock Steady at 11:39 AM on July 22, 2019
Oh, this is sad news. Thanks for letting us know. Hugs to you, MtDewd.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:41 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:41 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by jameaterblues at 11:44 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by jameaterblues at 11:44 AM on July 22, 2019
I am so sorry for your loss, MtDewd.
posted by kimberussell at 11:52 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by kimberussell at 11:52 AM on July 22, 2019
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:59 AM on July 22, 2019
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:59 AM on July 22, 2019
I know how it feels to lose one's brother and I'm so sorry that now you know too, MtDewd. Condolences to you and your family.
posted by Lynsey at 12:12 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Lynsey at 12:12 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 12:20 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 12:20 PM on July 22, 2019
I’m sorry for your loss, MtDewd. I’m glad your brother got so much out of MeFi—I remember noticing and appreciating his comments and posts.
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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:41 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:41 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by purpleclover at 12:59 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by purpleclover at 12:59 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 1:03 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 1:03 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by roger ackroyd at 1:11 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by roger ackroyd at 1:11 PM on July 22, 2019
I'm sorry for your loss, MtDewd. Our loss too. LeLiLo was one of those MeFites I always noticed and appreciated. Just the username itself made me smile. It was fun to say out loud. I met him at a meetup once and he was lovely to talk to.
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posted by Kattullus at 1:45 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by Kattullus at 1:45 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Ah, shit. This is truly a loss, not only to MeFi, but to Maine.
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posted by anastasiav at 1:55 PM on July 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
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posted by anastasiav at 1:55 PM on July 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
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posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:57 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:57 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by limeonaire at 2:19 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by limeonaire at 2:19 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by RandomInconsistencies at 3:03 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by RandomInconsistencies at 3:03 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by skycrashesdown at 3:13 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:13 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:35 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:35 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by mixedmetaphors at 4:47 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by mixedmetaphors at 4:47 PM on July 22, 2019
As a Mainer and MeFite, I feel this loss. Thank you for letting us now, and I'm so sorry.
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posted by theora55 at 5:26 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by theora55 at 5:26 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Thanks to all who responded. Posting here made it all more real for me- although it's still kind of 'what??'.
I'll post an obit of one comes out. I'm hoping he makes the Police Report.
posted by MtDewd at 5:32 PM on July 22, 2019 [16 favorites]
I'll post an obit of one comes out. I'm hoping he makes the Police Report.
posted by MtDewd at 5:32 PM on July 22, 2019 [16 favorites]
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posted by General Malaise at 5:35 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by General Malaise at 5:35 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by some loser at 6:25 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by some loser at 6:25 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:27 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 6:27 PM on July 22, 2019
May his memory be a blessing. Sorry for your loss.
posted by AugustWest at 7:06 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by AugustWest at 7:06 PM on July 22, 2019
But...but he just made this post about Iris Murdoch's centenary a few days ago! I had bookmarked it in Firefox so I could respond to it later. Argh.
LeLiLo, although we never met, I'm really glad you were here and I appreciate your contributions, especially your posts and your comments in the political threads.
MtDewd, somehow I missed before this post that you were brothers. Dangit. I am so sorry for your loss. This hurts. Hugs to you and your family.
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posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 7:11 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
LeLiLo, although we never met, I'm really glad you were here and I appreciate your contributions, especially your posts and your comments in the political threads.
MtDewd, somehow I missed before this post that you were brothers. Dangit. I am so sorry for your loss. This hurts. Hugs to you and your family.
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posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 7:11 PM on July 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by (Over) Thinking at 7:27 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by (Over) Thinking at 7:27 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:04 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:04 PM on July 22, 2019
Shit. MtDewd I am so sorry. Your brother was a lovely lovely man. The first time I met him was when he emailed me out of the blue saying "I will be loose in central Vermont this afternoon with a rental car, and would like to visit your empire.... Vermont is getting on my nerves, and I feel I need to talk to a librarian." and he came by and we had lunch.
He was a great correspondent and during the time when his kid was in school in Vermont I would see him as he'd be scooting back and forth to Maine. He came to a few meetups at my house and was a charmer, telling wacky stories from the Bar Harbor police log. He later sent me a copy of his book where he'd collected a lot of those stories. It was funny, as he was.
I came through Maine a few times and would stop by to see him. Once we went on one of his lighthouse cruises (I think I was with my mom and sister? Oh yeah, it was) and had a fun time hearing all of his weird local stories. Another time I came by his house and he snuck me in to the library and showed me around while people were getting set up for the book sale. I told him about belonging to the 251 Club and he told me he belonged to the... I don't even remember what it was but it was for people who were trying to visit every county in the US. He had seen an impressive number of them.
He was a great guy, a wealth of stories, and as near as I could tell a peach of a brother, father husband and friend. He'll be missed. May his memory be a blessing.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:52 PM on July 22, 2019 [23 favorites]
He was a great correspondent and during the time when his kid was in school in Vermont I would see him as he'd be scooting back and forth to Maine. He came to a few meetups at my house and was a charmer, telling wacky stories from the Bar Harbor police log. He later sent me a copy of his book where he'd collected a lot of those stories. It was funny, as he was.
I came through Maine a few times and would stop by to see him. Once we went on one of his lighthouse cruises (I think I was with my mom and sister? Oh yeah, it was) and had a fun time hearing all of his weird local stories. Another time I came by his house and he snuck me in to the library and showed me around while people were getting set up for the book sale. I told him about belonging to the 251 Club and he told me he belonged to the... I don't even remember what it was but it was for people who were trying to visit every county in the US. He had seen an impressive number of them.
He was a great guy, a wealth of stories, and as near as I could tell a peach of a brother, father husband and friend. He'll be missed. May his memory be a blessing.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:52 PM on July 22, 2019 [23 favorites]
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posted by Joe in Australia at 10:20 PM on July 22, 2019
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:20 PM on July 22, 2019
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Oh dear, I am so sorry. I met LeLiLo at a meet-up in Bar Harbor, years ago. He was such a nice person, and we talked about music, as my husband was working for the Bagduce Lending Library at the time, and we'd attended a musical performance at the Stonington Opera House, and he knew the lady who'd given the performance.
What a nice guy. Again, so sorry for your loss.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 11:57 PM on July 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
Oh dear, I am so sorry. I met LeLiLo at a meet-up in Bar Harbor, years ago. He was such a nice person, and we talked about music, as my husband was working for the Bagduce Lending Library at the time, and we'd attended a musical performance at the Stonington Opera House, and he knew the lady who'd given the performance.
What a nice guy. Again, so sorry for your loss.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 11:57 PM on July 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
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posted by Doktor Zed at 3:44 AM on July 23, 2019
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:44 AM on July 23, 2019
I was lucky to count Richard as a friend. He introduced me to Metafilter, among other things. My wife and I spent time in Augusta with him and Susan just a week before he died. It was a very Richard visit--we went out to Lake Cobbossee so he could see New England's only land-locked lighthouse and we visited the grave of James G. Blaine. And we laughed a lot, as we always did. I am finding it very hard to process this information. Richard was so full of life. it seems inconceivable that he is no more.
posted by Man-Thing at 6:28 AM on July 23, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by Man-Thing at 6:28 AM on July 23, 2019 [9 favorites]
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Sorry for the loss of your brother, MtDewd.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:36 AM on July 23, 2019
Sorry for the loss of your brother, MtDewd.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:36 AM on July 23, 2019
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posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:12 AM on July 23, 2019
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:12 AM on July 23, 2019
I never met him, but I was so sad to see this news. And I didn't even put together that he was Bar Harbor Police Blotter guy! MtDewd, sympathy to you and your family.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:29 AM on July 23, 2019
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:29 AM on July 23, 2019
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posted by lazaruslong at 12:41 PM on July 23, 2019
posted by lazaruslong at 12:41 PM on July 23, 2019
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posted by allkindsoftime at 1:46 PM on July 23, 2019
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:46 PM on July 23, 2019
I'm very sorry to hear about this, MtDewd. I don't think I ever got the chance to meet him in person, but he was a familiar presence on the site.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:52 PM on July 23, 2019
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:52 PM on July 23, 2019
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posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:39 PM on July 23, 2019
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:39 PM on July 23, 2019
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posted by theappleonatree at 8:54 PM on July 23, 2019
posted by theappleonatree at 8:54 PM on July 23, 2019
Aww, such a mensch. jessamyn and I visited him in Bar Harbor once, and he was the bestest host, with the most expansive record collection I had ever seen. He also gave me a copy of his book, Bar Harbor Police Beat: True Stories from the Police Files of Mount Desert Island, Maine, which is an essential item for any personal bathroom library. Sad to know I won't meet him again, and so sorry for your loss, MtDewd.
posted by not_on_display at 8:59 PM on July 23, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by not_on_display at 8:59 PM on July 23, 2019 [5 favorites]
I’m so sorry for your loss, and to the great community’s loss, too.
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posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:42 PM on July 23, 2019
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posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:42 PM on July 23, 2019
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posted by growabrain at 11:17 AM on July 25, 2019
posted by growabrain at 11:17 AM on July 25, 2019
I'm hoping he makes the Police Report.
Well, he kind of did, though it was not detailed in the Mount Desert Islander police log. It might be next week.
There was an insert in the police section of the paper that came out today. It had a picture the book cover, and this caption:
No one has started an obit. Everyone thought this would be a daunting project- where do you start?
I'm over for a couple of days of sitting shiva. Lots of good stories being told. Lots of crying too, but mostly laughter.
posted by MtDewd at 8:51 AM on July 26, 2019 [18 favorites]
Well, he kind of did, though it was not detailed in the Mount Desert Islander police log. It might be next week.
There was an insert in the police section of the paper that came out today. It had a picture the book cover, and this caption:
Richard Sassaman of Bar Harbor, author of the 1996 book "Bar Harbor Police Beat: True Stories from the Police Files of Mount Desert Island, Maine," died unexpectedly at home Sunday.The insert did not make the online edition of the paper.
Friends suggested a mock police log entry would be a fitting tribute, something like "Richard Sassaman was apprehended by the universe and escorted from the scene.
Local law enforcement wrecked two cruisers in his honor."
No one has started an obit. Everyone thought this would be a daunting project- where do you start?
I'm over for a couple of days of sitting shiva. Lots of good stories being told. Lots of crying too, but mostly laughter.
posted by MtDewd at 8:51 AM on July 26, 2019 [18 favorites]
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posted by but no cigar at 2:13 PM on July 27, 2019
posted by but no cigar at 2:13 PM on July 27, 2019
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posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 12:47 PM on August 1, 2019
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 12:47 PM on August 1, 2019
That's a lovely and fitting obituary.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:32 PM on August 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:32 PM on August 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
Obit. (Bar Harbor Times, July 30, 2019)
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Richard’s honor to:posted by zamboni at 10:33 AM on August 4, 2019
Graceful Aging Program c/o Acadia Community Association, 80 Mt.Desert Street, Bar Harbor.
Jesup Library: jesuplibrary.org.
A Climate To Thrive: aclimatetothrive.org.
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posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:14 AM on July 22, 2019