# Bye, Opal **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666 "2013-03-11T23:59:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![ChrisCTP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@ChrisCTP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisCTP)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/522 "2013-03-15T03:57:51Z")
Opal was one of the first to befriend me when I joined here, and I admired her in a lot of ways. I think this is the closest to a funeral I can hope for, sadly. Goodbye to an old friend. She’ll be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/523 "2013-03-15T04:14:10Z")
> [@Cheshire Human](#): > > My condolences to her new fiance, Jack. He deserved more time with her. > [@MoodIndigo1](#): > > I’m with you on that one, **Cheshire Human**. > Her mom said **OpalCat** was happy the last few months. It’s comforting for us to know as well, so thank you, **OpalCat’s Mom** for telling us. She was incredibly happy these past few months with Jack. She said she didn’t think she would ever be happy again, then suddenly out of nowhere she met this guy who she described as her “soulmate.” If you had seen the photos of them together, you would know they were made for each other. They looked so happy. In the past couple of months she posted all the time about how much in love she was, and how she and Jack would go out to clubs, dressed up in fabulous costume, and dance non-stop all night. (She was an amazing dancer. She and I used to go out dancing together and I was so impressed with her dancing, and people would just gather around and watch her, she was so good.) I feel really bad for Jack and can’t imagine the pain he’s going through. If you’re out there reading this Jack, know that we’re thinking of you. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ba8739/32.png) [@OpalCat\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/524 "2013-03-15T04:30:42Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Where do you think Opal got it from? 😃 Can’t take credit for that. She got her grammar geekiness from me, but I borrowed the lists from her. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/525 "2013-03-15T05:22:53Z")
I’m very, very sorry for your loss. Opal and I were never close, but having recently lost someone I loved very much, I can only imagine what you’re going through. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/526 "2013-03-15T06:21:00Z")
1-Opal was a talented person who touched many lives. 2-The world did not shrink with her loss. 3-It grew larger because of her journey. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/527 "2013-03-15T06:53:10Z")
[Soul Asylum](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDl3iUo__dY) [REM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2N_uvnvGbI) [Metallica](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4GtqRmf54w) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/528 "2013-03-15T11:40:36Z")
may her memory be eternal. peace and strength to her friends and family, mom and dominic. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/529 "2013-03-15T12:32:19Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > I didn’t know OpalCat, but you couldn’t be on the Dope for long without knowing \*of \*her. She seemed to have one of those personalities that spread far beyond her physical presence. My condolences to her son and family. I didn’t know her, and never interacted with her. But I was certainly aware of who she was and I really like her being here, dancing to her different drum. She helped define this place. And she was a super talented artist to boot, not to mention, very pretty. My condolences to her family. Very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/530 "2013-03-15T12:42:29Z")
Wow, this is incredibly shocking and sad news. I felt **Opal’s** huge presence on the board almost immediately when I first joined some 13 years ago. I remember following a link to her site and seeing a picture of her and somehow getting the feeling that this was a person of great depth and many complex layers. Really. I met her once at a NY Dopefest and ended up hanging out with her and a small group for most of the night. I’m so glad I got the chance to know you Opal. It’s a really strange thought, you not being here anymore. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/531 "2013-03-15T14:13:46Z")
We’ve had a fair number of Dopers on Jeopardy, but “Hi Opal” was the only Doper meme that got propagated on the show. I don’t remember which Doper said it on air. ---
**Author:** ![ghostman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ghostman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghostman)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/532 "2013-03-15T14:19:44Z")
I cannot add anything of substance that has not already been said. I, like many above, am a long time lurker (says 2002 but have been around much longer). I had not met her or anyone else on this board, as true of a great number of the members. Even so, she has touched me as she has so many others through both her posts and her presence in other’s remeberances of her posts. Being a nonbeliever, I unfortunately take no solace in an afterlife. As with all the deaths I’ve endured, however, the thing that keeps me going more than anything else, is the impact that they have on my personality. For me, that is their eternal legacy. This does very little to alleviate the grief of the event, but it gets me by day to day knowing that my life has been shaped by those whom I interact with (even passively). Thanks kiddo for everything you’ve brought to all of us. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/533 "2013-03-15T15:11:23Z")
Another long-time mostly-lurker here - while I don’t think I ever directly interacted with **OpalCat** , she has been of the more memorable SDMB’ers in my mind. I would have to agree with those who have said she lived her life exhuberantly and shared herself generously. My best wishes to her family and friends as they face this difficult time. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/534 "2013-03-15T15:21:05Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I never knew Opal but I certainly knew of her. My favorite post of hers never failed to make me smile. It was in the thread about the horrible photoshopping of kiddie pageant photos. I give to you the infamous [pageant kitty!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8849968&postcount=162). > > Thanks Opal for making me smile. Thanks for sharing. It made me smile on this foggy dreary morning. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/535 "2013-03-15T16:41:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > We’ve had a fair number of Dopers on Jeopardy, but “Hi Opal” was the only Doper meme that got propagated on the show. I don’t remember which Doper said it on air. [That would be 5 Time Champ (Kevin from St Ann, MO) who mouthed “Hi, Opal!” at the end of a Final Jeopardy Tournament of Champions show which taped in February and aired in March, 2005.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=304601) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/536 "2013-03-15T17:04:45Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > [That would be 5 Time Champ (Kevin from St Ann, MO) who mouthed “Hi, Opal!” at the end of a Final Jeopardy Tournament of Champions show which taped in February and aired in March, 2005.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=304601) I thought it was him, but I wasn’t sure. Thank you for tracking down that post. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/537 "2013-03-15T17:33:10Z")
Wow, this comes at a surprise. I haven’t had any contact with Opal outside of when I met her in person at a MAD Dopefest at **GingerOfTheNorth** and **Weirddave** ’s house several years ago. I felt she was a very pleasant and high-energy woman from the few hours I spent around her. Best wishes and condolences to her friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![CreaseMunky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@CreaseMunky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CreaseMunky)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/538 "2013-03-15T19:01:34Z")
Like a lot of others, there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. Condolences to her family and friends at this sad time. ---
**Author:** ![Linear\_Crack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Linear\_Crack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linear_Crack)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/539 "2013-03-15T19:19:58Z")
Fudge. She enlightened me on pot handle washing procedures. -LC ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/540 "2013-03-15T19:20:57Z")
You know… Opal annoyed the hell out of me, the way she’d ask for advice and then shoot everybody who replied down because it wasn’t the advice she was looking for. I stopped offering any. Still, Opal provided a haven when SDMB looked like it might be going away. After having made friends here, both IRL and (as I like to call the ones I’ve never met IRL) ‘imaginary’, I didn’t want to lose touch. Opal ensured that our community survived even if SDMB didn’t. I never mentioned how attractive she was. I think it’s a little creepy to say such things on the Internet. But she was attractive. I never commented on her art. She was a talented artist. I did say ‘Hi Opal’ a few times, but I stopped doing that. If my list had two items, it had two items. It makes me sad to hear of her death. She will be missed. I offer my heartfelt condolences to her son, her mother, and the rest of her family. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666/541 "2013-03-15T21:36:56Z")
Sad news. Opal gave me a LJ code a long time ago. Sorry to her family and friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666.md?page=28)