for me... i read this thread totally different.
after the guy died, the wife received comfort from the ministers words. funerals are for the living. they are meant to comfort those that are left behind.
the guy who made her life hard,,, hes 6 ft under. he feels no pain. he also has left her with years and years of "what if's". ministers see this. they also see that this young woman is left with kids probably, and a million situations in the future that he husband wasnt strong enough to lighten her burdens.
to me dying of this disease is the easy way out. anyone can die. its easy. but it takes balls to live. and to live well.
funerals are for the living, and in many ways... a beginning to closure.
quietsins