Is it normal to decline family funeral

86% Normal
5 Comments

In late 2020, A close family member died from COVID. There was no vaccine.
Ohio was the hottest state in the country for infection. I had 6 family members infected within a few days of each other.
My uncle passed from COVID complications. I live in Maryland and did not travel to attend funeral. The infection rate in OH, was extremely high at that time. I'm married with two small kids.
Did I let my family down for not traveling to attend?
Some family members thought I should have been there...I got the 'It's family!' speech. It's been a year and some still haven't spoke to me. I put my wife and kids first. What to do?

Voting Results
86% Normal
Based on 7 votes (6 yes)
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Comments ( 5 )
  • litelander8
    2 years ago

    I think that it’s important people make their own decisions. You can mourn a loss without going to a funeral. Sorry for your loss.

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  • olderdude-xx
    2 years ago

    Given the circumstances; I'd say you did right for your personal family.

    I've missed several family funerals (and a wedding); and no one in my family has held it against me because of what else I was doing.

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  • Grunewald
    2 years ago

    You did what you thought was right. Meanwhile my family members in the UK had no choice but to watch a livestream of the funeral from their homes. These are such hard times. All families need to have a little more grace.

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  • Boojum
    2 years ago

    Sorry, but it sounds like you have the misfortune to have been born into a family of self-centred, blinkered, tradition-bound fools.

    It's almost equally unfortunate that you had the misfortune to be born in a country where a bunch of total idiots have worked very hard to turn a public health emergency into a huge political drama.

    As a husband and father, your main priority has to be to do whatever you deem necessary to keep your wife and children healthy and safe. Your relatives are free to think whatever they choose about your decisions. There's no point in trying to change their minds about that, and if they had any respect for you, they wouldn't even expect you to justify your choices.

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  • 1WeirdGuy
    2 years ago

    I would been disappointed if I was the other family members. It just depends how close yall were also if it was immediate family. Kids are not really at risk for having bad covid symptoms unless they already have serious health issues.

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