Estimated Time of Departure takes readers on a journey of one man and his family having these discussions and how powerfully loving and revealing they were. In this funny, moving, poignant memoir, William Donaldson tells the story of how he talked with his parents over an extended period about their end-of-life thoughts and philosophy. He shares the sad, funny, maddening, sweet, and rewarding sides of this journey and makes a compelling and impassioned plea to readers to not miss this opportunity. They were not without sadness and challenges, but by virtue of talking and exploring the topic, the family came closer together and the inevitable passing became, while still sad, a cathartic, deeply rewarding event. Estimated Time of Departure was written to give readers the courage to have these discussions and shows that hope, love, and reverence can be seen by having them.

William Donaldson is an educator, author, businessman, systems thinker, husband, father, friend, and son who likes to think deeply and longitudinally about ideas big and small. He is an Associate Professor of Management at Christopher Newport University. Willy has over 35 years of experience as a Board member and President and has been CEO of eight companies including a publicly traded company and an international joint venture. Willy is the Founder and President of Strategic Venture Planning, a management-consulting firm that assists boards, investors, and senior management teams maximize results. His experience runs from start-up to Fortune 500 companies, from private to public companies, from services to manufacturing, from low to high-tech, and from for profit to not for profit entities. He is the author of Simple Complexity. Willy resides in Newport News, VA.