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Point Contrar! I have officiated over a multitude of funerals. As a counselor, I see value in having a funeral or a memorial service. It is, of course, not for the dead, but for those left behind. I have officiated at funerals for my grandparents, my father and step-mother, most of my uncles and aunts and for a myriad of congregants and total strangers.
Doing my dad's funeral was a way for me to show appreciation for his gift of life and his solid moral and ethical input into my life. In our family, funerals ARE a celebration of the life of the loved one just lost. It does facilitate the process of grief and helps the grieved one move on. It might be well for each of us to check the feelings of our children concerning the "die and dump" routine.
My favorite uncle was unceremoniously dumped by his kids. They didn't bother to even tell the extended family for some time. My mother-in-law chose to be cremated, a choice we honored. The extended family were effusive in there appreciation for the memorial celebration, no body, no viewing, just gathering to celebrate her contribution to our lives.
Funerals or memorial services don't have to be expensive or ostentatious. They can be simple and dignified. Consider letting those you have influenced say goodbye.
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