Favorite aunt’s death leads to family rift over funeral communications
A woman who had been checking on her dying aunt stopped messaging to give the family space, then was excluded from funeral details after a relative took control.
DEAR ABBY: My favorite aunt was dying. Her daughter is my favorite cousin, so I texted her almost every day with encouragement. When the doctor said the end was near, I backed off messaging to give the family space to themselves.
Thirteen days later, I received a text with a photograph of my aunt’s grave. Ensuing texts and phone calls indicated that my cousin’s older brother had grandstanded and taken over. Questions about her service and burial went unanswered. I expressed dismay; our family had been the first to call about almost everything.