I saw this in the offtopic posts and had to look. At first I said, "No big deal" but later realized I have been to a few funerals recently and it is not a fun experience. I lost my father, grandfather and grandmother in a 3 year span. Needless to say going to funerals got weird quickly but I adjusted. My father was creamated(sp?) and his wishes are to have his ashes dumped into the volcano in Hawaii's Big Island. How insane is that? It didn't seem odd when he told me before he passed away. Now that he is dead I am pretty annoyed that he tossed me that last dying wish.
Dying is a very tough topic. People either clam up on it or joke about it as a defense mechanism to feel better. Then again if you have never been to a funeral that changes everything.