Simone Opalak

December 31, 1915 – October 18, 2011

Simone Michels Opalak, beloved wife of the late John Opalak, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.  Simone was born in 1915 in Paris, France, and moved to Fairfield in 2008 to spend her remaining years at the home of her son, Dr. Michael Opalak, and his wife, Dr. Lenore Snowden Opalak.  

In addition to her son and daughter-in-law, Simone is survived by her beloved grandsons, Charles and Thomas; Thomas’ wife, Emily; as well as devoted nieces, Marie-Noel de la Chapelle of Deauville, France, Laure de la Chapelle-Clement of San Diego, California; and nephew, Emmanual de la Chapelle of Deauville, France; and half-sister, Anne-Marie de Varrennes of Brussels, Belgium.  She was predeceased by her sister, Jeanine Michels de la Chapelle.  Simone will also be missed by many friends around the world. 

Although born in Paris, Simone spent most of her childhood at the Michels family home near Malines, Belgium.  She went to finishing school in Nice, France, and subsequently studied literature at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles.  Her university studies were interrupted by WWII, when her family had to flee from Belgium back to France.  At the end of the war, Simone, an aspiring writer, worked for the newspaper “Ce Soir” in Paris.  In 1947, her novel “Horsmoons” was published, and was nominated for the Femina prize in literature.  In 1949 Simone came to New York on a contract with the newspaper “Le Monde”.  While in New York, Simone met John Opalak, and they were married in 1951.  The couple relocated to France in 1961. Simone continued to write, turning her attention to poetry, with the publication of her original poems “Poems Arc en Ciel”, and her translation of the poetry of St. John of the Cross from Spanish into French.  Toward the end of her life, Simone was engaged in writing her memoirs; these were unfortunately never completed due to her declining health, however she was able to finish a lengthy section on her fascinating life in pre-war France and Belgium. 

Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. directly at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Fairfield for a Mass of Christian Burial.  Interment will follow in Mountain Grove Cemetery.  The Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road in Fairfield Center is assisting with the arrangements.   Memorial contributions may be made in Simone’s name to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 or at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.