George and Jan O’Nale, both 56, died in their rural New Castle, Virginia home on May 27.

For over 20 years, the O'Nales' Cheap Street Press published original, contemporary fiction in a fine press format. Signed, numbered books in editions of no more than 200 copies per title, crafted with the finest materials available.

On June 10, Locus Online reported the apparent suicide of the O'Nales. The June 22, 2003 Roanoke Times http://www.roanoke.com/ published a detailed article about their lives and death.

The article describes a reclusive couple who highly valued their privacy. They collected books and guns, and unexpected visitors were likely to have those guns flashed in their face.

The O’Nales’ planned their deaths carefully. "More than 40 boxes of books and papers." "At least one copy of everything Cheap Street printed along with the company's correspondence and much of the O'Nales' personal collections" were transferred to Tulane University in 2002.

They closed their business and in April they paid for their cremation. They "boxed and labeled things they wanted particular people to have, then stored those things in a rental space; prepared their wills; mailed letters to people they wanted to say good bye to - and mailed the letter to McPherson [the County Sheriff] telling him what they'd done."

On May 27 they mailed a stack of letters to friends and acquaintances, then went home and died in bed breathing helium in a homemade device described in the book Final Exit. At least one of the letters said "Due to failing health we're going to take our lives in a quiet and peaceful manner."

They sent careful instructions to the Sheriff, including a key to their back door and even labeled their back door so the Sheriff wouldn't confuse it with their laundry room.

"The O'Nale's bodies have been cremated, their ashes scattered in a location they wanted to keep secret." They had no children.

Posted June 23, 2003