Edward Stephen Fischtrom

Edward Stephen Fischtrom (1943-2026)

Edward (Eddy) Stephen Fischtrom of Long Lake, Minnesota died on February 3rd, 2026. The cause was cancer, but if there was a battle to be won, he would have won it. The fight was valiant, and the acceptance of what was coming was equally brave.

He was born in Newark, NJ to Ida (Rabinowitz) and Mac Fischtrom and went all the way to Madison to study at the University of Wisconsin. He fell in love with the town and stayed there for several years after graduation, then made his way to San Francisco for a while before settling in Minnesota, where he remained for the next five decades.

He had a fierce belief that the world could and should be a better place, and had a deep knowledge of and passion for all things politics. He loved big ideas, deep conversations, the life of the mind. He was a jack of all trades and a master of many, from refinishing furniture to gardening to cooking to weather prognostication. Two weeks before he died, he was telling his daughter to expect a real snow fall in Columbus, even as the apps said it wouldn’t be a big deal. The apps were wrong. He was right.

Everyone who knows Eddy talks about his sweetness and his humor. He was sympathetic to plights, quick to help, and ready to lift moods. He was often very silly, and would unleash beautifully crafted little bits of goofiness at the exact perfect moment. This continued until the very end.

Eddy is survived by his wife, Barbara Goodman-Fischtrom; his daughter Jenna Beacom and husband John of Columbus, Ohio; his granddaughter Sophie Beacom of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his brother Jerry Fischtrom of Manhattan, New York; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Ida (Rabinowitz) Fischtrom and Mac Fischtrom, and his brother Harvey Fischtrom.

A private burial will take place on Friday, February 6th at 10 AM, and there will be a celebration of life this summer around his birthday, July 13th.

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