Going Out in Style: A Collection of Personal Celebration-of-Life Stories

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER. Books will be available by about June 1, 2017.

Going Out in Style by Susan Opalka is about creating a celebration-of-life event for you or someone you love that is positive, meaningful and personal. An event that reflects you, your personality; the things you love.

Going Out in Style is a collection of stories focused on celebrating the uniqueness of the individual who has passed with an event reflecting who they were in life.  The how-to guide, along with the ideas from the stories, will help anyone plan their own send-off or celebration-of-life event, whether it be a service, a party, whatever.

Going Out in Style is author Susan Opalka’s book about the shift from traditional solemn memorial services to a whole new paradigm of positive and personal “send-off celebrations.”

This significant shift speaks to all ages with a collection of unique stories demonstrating how individuals have gone out in style – their own personal style.

Inspirational and informative, Going Out in Style includes a step-by-step how-to guide to create your own Celebration of Life with easy-to-follow templates and examples.

Going Out in Style represents and documents a major trend that is taking place in our society today.

Actually, it’s more than a major trend.

• It’s a significant culture shift.
• It’s a shift from the traditional, solemn, serious memorial services, to a whole new paradigm of positive and personal “send-off celebrations.”
• It’s about wearing big hats
• Black golf balls
• Fishing lure earrings
• Sweet potato curly fries
• A horned toad
• And chocolate!

Going Out in Style is a collection of unique, joyful, and heart-warming stories that demonstrate how individuals have gone out in style — their own personal style!

But it’s not just about elders:

• It’s about 11 year-old Nicky and his Zombie birthday party,
• A kindergartner named Maya,
• And Pualani, a high school student.
• It’s about stories that represent all ages.

 Book Reviews:

“I read it from start to finish in one sitting, each story resonating with the joy of life lived, and the unique celebration of the individual by their loved ones. These send-offs will make you laugh, cry, and think — how do I want to go out in style?”  ~ Patti Wade, contributing author, Chicken Soup for the Soul

“As an Art Therapist, Grief and Bereavement Counselor, and Counselor trainer, I continually witnessed the ways in which the utilization of ritual can be key to helping people honor the lives of those whom they had loved and lost. This book explores the need to give voice to personal loss, and it is filled with moving portraits of individuals striving to celebrate the essences of those whom they still continue to miss after death.  Through these heartfelt examinations, the book also highlights the creative and expressive ways in which each person has chosen to share his or her own story. These personal accounts embrace the intricacies of life, love, loss, and remembrance and provide an initial glimpse into the subsequent journey to healing. This must-read is a celebratory gift; it is caring and respectful and is filled with a sense of joyous inspiration.  ~ Gail F. Jarson, M.A., Retired from Art Therapy and Counseling

 “The way we honor and celebrate the life of someone who has died is taking on new and very individual forms.  Boomers are not content with the rote services of our parents and are looking to participate in how our loved ones send us off. Going Out in Style is a joy-filled expression of how some of us have custom built highly personal tributes. It is a wonderful read and a trove of inspiration for those of us who are getting closer to the finish line.  ~ Marian Lindholtz, M.I.M.  Professional Writer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For over 30 years, Susan Opalka’s professional career was in market research and marketing. Her responsibilities were to analyze market conditions, new trends and directions; to identify target markets; to understand consumers’ behavior and motivations; and to understand the competitive environment. Over the years she has conducted hundreds of large, quantitative research studies, moderated hundreds of focus groups and one-on-one interviews. Her focus was on the anthropological and social aspects of business marketing.

She worked at Foote, Cone, Belding Advertising Agency in San Francisco in the research department aiding clients such as Levi’s and Clorox. For five years, she identified target markets and new product opportunities for Apple Computer. In Arizona, she was the Marketing Research Manager at APS, the Director of Competitive Intelligence at Motorola, and the Marketing/Market Research Director at Sage Software.

Ms. Opalka has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  She also taught graduate-level classes in marketing, market research, consumer behavior, new product development, and organizational leadership at Keller Graduate School of Management for over twenty years.

 Since her retirement, Susan has continued her interest in ethnography, generational marketing, and monitoring social trends and new directions.