[blahedo]

Yes, agreed. My dad said he didn't want a wake or funeral---I think he didn't want to put anyone out---but we overruled him, because the services weren't for him. Once he thought about that, he agreed (and gave some input on their planning, which was interesting). In the end it brought together a lot of people who hadn't seen each other in a very long time, which I appreciated, and I got to hear some stories I'd never heard before, which I also appreciated, and it made the whole process just feel a lot easier to deal with.