You Only Die Once: Preparing for the End of Life with Grace and Gusto

We’re all going to die. That’s not alarmist or pessimistic—just a fact. One day, life ends.

Death is part of being human, but not something most people want to discuss. We avoid thinking about our own mortality, often putting off important final decisions until it’s too late.

You Only Die Once takes a surprisingly lighthearted approach to this serious topic, demystifying end-of-life arrangements with poignant and humorous personal stories. With longtime counselor Margie Jenkins’s gentle guidance, you’ll travel the “planning paths” you’ve avoided for so long.

Jenkins helps you prepare your will and estate, decide where your cherished possessions go, and determine whether you need an advanced care directive. Should you wish it, you’ll even discover how to preplan your own funeral or memorial service.

Along the way, Jenkins offers hope for survivors and practical tips on how to handle a loved one’s death or sudden medical crisis. Most importantly, perhaps, you’ll come to realize that by making choices now, you transform death into the culmination of a life well-lived—rather than an unplanned and unexpected event.

After all, we only die once. Why not make sure you do it right?

The author of You Only Die Once and My Personal Planner, Margie Jenkins was a professional counselor for over thirty years.

Growing up in northern Kentucky, Jenkins graduated from the University of Cincinnati and received her master’s of social work from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. In 2003 she was named a distinguished alumnus, and she served on the Dean’s Advisor Council for fifteen years and taught college courses to professional caregivers.

Jenkins was a member of the Houston Committee of the Texas Partnership for End of Life Care for the Bill Moyer television series Dying on Our Own Terms and served as a volunteer counselor for Cancer Counseling, Inc., for over twenty years.

Retiring from counseling at ninety-one, Jenkins became CEO of Patio Press and created the Six- session video program You Only Die Once Course.

Married for over sixty years, she and her husband “Jenks” have four children and four grandchildren.