Will Philpot -- YourPalWill is gone

Got a post from Grubstreet when I looked on Facebook a moment ago.

http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2012/02/w ... asses.html


Tragic.


Mods please place/ merge where appropriate.

That's very sad news. I think we should organize a memorial lunch at Priscilla's or some other soul food restaurant to say farewell. Will always loved good fried chicken and down home cooking!

Hard to believe, indeed. And very sad news, though I think Stevez is right that a celebration would be most appropriate in his memory.

My wife and I picked up Will specials at Da' Riv today in his honor. Sadly delicious (and an amazing bargain too).

Will aptly fit his screen name. He will be missed (and always remembered for his night of driving on the long ago "Allnightathon).

R

I never met Will, but he sure seemed like someone I'd get along with. I read his post on CH and here. He seemed to spend time everywhere - in NC, in Chicagoland, etc.

What were the specifications of a "Will's Special"?

What a loss. I did not know him personally but certainly enjoyed his posts. My condolences and best wishes to his family.

cathy has been in touch with will's sister. i think they have some ideas for a small memorial lunch for his friends. you might want to wait until cathy posts to make plans. will was a real likeable, fun loving guy; his LTH handle 'Yourpalwill" was very appropriate. this is terrible news. justjoan

Terribly sad news, he was a character and such a nice person.

My prayers and condolences are with Will and his family.
Thanks Will for introducing to us a great sandwich, your memory will live on forever.

Requiescat in Pace

Tom in NC wrote:I never met Will, but he sure seemed like someone I'd get along with. I read his post on CH and here. He seemed to spend time everywhere - in NC, in Chicagoland, etc.

What were the specifications of a "Will's Special"?

I keep this in my wallet to present wherever I go for an Italian sandwich: Will Special: Hot Sopressata; Hot Cappicola: Salame de Prosciutto; Prosciutto Ham; (Roast Beef on Fridays was added a few months later);fresh mozzarella, a just a bit of hot giardinera on a roll I picked myself from the bread bin.

Regards,

I'm so shocked and sad to hear this news. I would very much like to join a memorial gathering for Will.

Will was a wonderful storyteller in many of his posts. Here are two from years back that I still remember. One is about the time he and Cathy flew to Kansas City for the day to eat at 6 or 7 barbecue places:
viewtopic.php?p=13006#p13006

Another is an account of his first, penniless days in NYC:
viewtopic.php?p=186986#p186986

He will be greatly missed.

Will was one of the very small group of LTHers I ever met. I enjoyed his company greatly when our paths crossed.

How terribly sad.

A loss to several communities; he Will be missed. I fondly remember his pre-move dinner upstairs at Lao Sze Chuan, his polite and good-humored manner, and his respect for food and eating as social and personal forces of great power. I enjoyed his posts long before I started here, and followed some of his out-of-town recommendations. As a foodie (really, as an American almanac), he didn't need feedback or praise, just wanted the good word on grub (and beyond) out there.

YourPalWill wrote:I wouldn't trade Chicago and its unique combination of urbanity and friendliness for New York ever again. And as a frequent Chicago steak eater, I take no offense in this city being defined as a place where one can get great old style steaks and chops

Amen.

i don't post often here, but i have always enjoyed Will's posts, including his posts in the Beyond Chicagoland forum. He will be missed.

Will's postings are one of the reasons I signed onto this board. His funny, wry look at food and the world around it often made me laugh out loud. I remember how glad I was when he moved back to Chicago and how moved I was reading his struggle with balancing his love of food with his health. He Will be deeply missed.

I loved reading Will's posts.

RIP.

mbh wrote:Will's postings are one of the reasons I signed onto this board. His funny, wry look at food and the world around it often made me laugh out loud. I remember how glad I was when he moved back to Chicago and how moved I was reading his struggle with balancing his love of food with his health. He Will be deeply missed.

I couldn't have said it better. We will miss you Will.

I only exchanged a few posts with Will but the friends he made here are a true testament to the kind of man he was.

Goodbye Will.

I met Will at a Columbian dinner engineered by Vital Information. This was early in the days of our participation on Chowhound. Will came up and said Hi, introduced himself, and we were both amused that we pretty much knew each other already from having posted online at a food discussion chatsite. That scenario, of course, has been replicated hundreds of times since then with people I met on LTHForum long before I met them in person. I've always thought, and will continue to think, of our pal Will as one of guys who was there at the start and who has helped keep this community alive with his fundamental passion for food and the sharing of information and impressions among friends.

A tip of the hat to the ember of welcome; YourPalWill

The last time I saw YourPalWill (or as I like to call him "MyPalWill) we were on a flight that was delayed. He was sitting behind me and it took me a few sneak peeks to finally recognize him. He was on his way home from a job interview and we were chatting over TCBY frozen yogurt...

RIP Will...

Over 10 years ago, MyPalWill was but one of a few prolific posters on Chicago CH that was catching our attention all the way out in Boston. I probably read every post of his and i didn't even live in Chicago. He seemed like the kind of guy you would want to break bread with. Later, we would exchange messages occasionally over the years though i never did get the chance to meet the man. I hope to break bread with him in the next life. Godspeed, Will.

Aww, I'm so sorry to hear this. May he rest in peace.

My condolences to his friends and family.

So sad to read this news.
Though I never had the pleasure of meeting Will, he was a shining star in the LTH family.
He shared so much of himself through his posts. Condolences to Will's family.
He will be missed.

I remember participating in putting together a dinner at Inspiration Cafe that Will organized. I brought my daughter Sara with me. She had a wonderful time meeting the clients, waiting on them and meeting some of my LTH friends. I also remember sitting next to Will at the famous Chuck's LTH dinner, where I thought I would need a wheelbarrow to get out to the car because I ate so much. During Will's weight loss journey, he met me and my family for a much smaller, healthier dinner at Chuck's. I have been going back and forth in emails trying to arrange another meal with him, and am sad that it just won't happen now.

We meet so many different people on our life's journey, and I am a better person for having met Will.

Suzy

Thanks for bringing up Inspiration Cafe. Will launched a career there (so to speak); more example of how his good work extended beyond our little food community.

I only met Will once or twice, but he seemed like a long lost friend for a lot of reasons. For one, his easy conversational way of conveying the good and bad about the kinds of places and things that interest me and, I'd guess, interest most LTHers. He also walked a lot of the same ground that I have over the years -- again, much like many other LTHers who travel to big cities and small towns for business and feel the need to eat somewhere other than the hotel or Applebee's. Mostly, Will was the rare eater whose taste compass was always true. His instincts for discerning the great from the good and isolating worthwhile breaks in the monotonous food landscape were gifts we all shared. I'll miss Will's humor and generosity.

This is very sad news. RIP Will.

Such sad news. I never had the pleasure of meeting him face-to-face, but always enjoyed his contributions. My condolences to his family.