I never knew Opal; I have never really known anyone on the boards even though I have been reading the boards almost daily for more than 12 years now (how weird is that!). Still, I felt that I knew her, how can you not after so many years. Opal was the reason I found and joined the dope. In one of Cecil’s books, there were posts from the AOL days in between the questions and there was one attributed to her. I still remember reading it, looking at her signature, getting online and searching for the SDMB. That was in May of 1999 (the book was several years old at that point) and I have been here ever since. She was one of the posters who I would always slow down and read carefully when I saw her name; she continued to make an impression on me over the years…
What a terrible thing, I wish I had known her better.
Wow. That is way too young. She really lived her life, too. The highest highs and the lowest lows. She will be missed. My warmest condolences to her family and those of us who she touched over the years.
Goodbye Opal. May your spirit rest in peace.
Even though my join date doesn’t represent it, I’ve been lurking here on the SMDB since either 1999 or 2000, when I was about 14 years old. We had just gotten the Internet, and I knew that that was a place I could go to find so much information about EVERYTHING. I was a kid who would read encyclopedias and dictionaries for fun, just because I wanted to know. Soon after my family got AOL, I was doing an Ask Jeeves search for something or other (pre Google days!), which led me to Cecil’s columns. I read every single one of the columns in the archives…and then discovered the message boards.
I’ve been here a long time. I’ve seen Opal’s name on here for years. Even though I didn’t register (who would want to hear what I had to say?), I knew everyone’s personality, what everyone was like, their kids, their stories. I watched, I learned, I rooted for every single one of you and celebrated your successes, and felt for you when it didn’t go your way. Silently, of course. Too shy to do anything but lurk for ten years. What could I add?
Now it’s 2013, and I’m 28, and Opal isn’t here anymore. It’s dumb, I know: it’s a freaking message board, and I never interacted once with Opal. However, I feel so sad. She was literally an institution here. I would say I wish I had gotten to know her, which I do, but that isn’t it. Based on her writings and her postings, I’m not even sure I would have liked her very much. I do though find her (and always have found her) very inspiring as a person and as an artist. As someone who has always had a hard time with depression and quelling that voice inside you that makes you crazy and creative, she has always been an example to me of what a successful person could be and what I could be, too.
This is long and rambling and I feel strange putting all this out there. I just want to let whoever know that Opal affected me greatly as a person, and her presence here and in the world will be most sorely missed.
I lurked for a good number of years before I finally joined the board. I loved how her posts sounded so real, and from the heart. There was no artifice about her, and I really did appreciate that.
While I have a minimal belief in an omnipotent and omniscient being, I do wish her the greatest peace and the hope that her torment is over. RIP, OpalCat.
I can’t add anything to what’s already been said. I never met her, but she was a presence on the board (and elsewhere on the Internet) for a long time. She will be missed.
Alright then, let’s write a round robin obituary for Opal.
Despite a lifelong struggle with depression, Opal brought passion and joy to the thousands who knew her in person and through the miracle of the internet. A pioneer of this medium she developed and participated in online communities that have connected people who otherwise would never have had the opportunity. She rankled at and fought injustice where she found it …
I remember that Dopefest. Opal walked into Bill’s apartment; I think we might have been gathering for brunch? She had long brown hair. Someone said, “I thought you shaved your head?”. She reached up and pulled off the wig, and then brought out markers so people could draw on her if they wanted.
It was ten years ago, and one of the things I remember most clearly about that weekend.
Oh no! I met her at a couple of Dopefests in NYC, and I remember being at brunch once with her and Persephone. I can’t believe both those vital women are gone.
At least St. Peter knew exactly what to say when she showed up. “Hi, Opal!” but it should have been forty years from now.
Another long-time non-poster (last visit 7.13.2001) stopping by to remember.
PUNditOK & I were fortunate enough to see Opal a year or so ago when she was driving solo from the East Coast to Phoenix. She stopped in Amarillo & we had a nice dinner together. It is crushing to learn to learn that such a wonderful, creative, dynamic personality and brilliant light has gone out forever. I hope she is at peace now.
As mother to a son close to Dominic’s age, it makes me deeply sad to think of his loss. And I’ve deleted a dozen things I tried to say from this point, because they all sounded dumb.
