River Wire Blog

From Jack Gartside's Blog'

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Sad news. Last evening, after a hospitalization of several weeks, Jack finally lost his protracted battle with lung cancer. He was in bed resting comfortably, attended by friends, with the first snow of the season falling silently outside.

Services will be held later this week in Winthrop, MA and East Boston. Details, including date and time, will be available tomorrow on the Ruggiero-Mazzarella funeral home’s web site. If other information becomes available I’ll post it here (or feel free to send a message to the site).

Jack meant so much to so many of us. For his part, of his friends and fans he always said, “I’m the richest man I know.” Over the years there were so many stories written by those friendships: funny, warm, inspiring, head-shakingly amazing, and even a few death-defyingly nuts. Here’s hoping you’ll share your own thoughts or experiences with Jack in the Comments below (posted comments will appear after a brief delay).

Goodbye, buddy. You’ve gone on ahead. Most likely you’re already scouting the water, noting the currents and structure. So that when finally we catch up you’ll just point to a spot and say, “There. Make a cast right there.”