I've been responsible for organizing two funerals, my late partner Lenny's, and my father's.

In both cases I chose private cremation and a memorial service that focused on celebrating life with photos and stories. I don't personally like the custom of funerals with a body in box. I understand that that can provide closure for some people, and I accept that.

But it's not for me.

Fortunately, in and the cases of my late partner and my dad, we had time to talk about arrangements, and private cremation is what they wanted too. I told each of them that we'd throw a big party for them, tell all the great stories about them, remember I'm at their best.

And that's what we did.

Ultimately, maybe that didn't matter to them, but it sure mattered to the rest of us.

Thanks for telling this story about Ken. He sounds like a fascinating guy. I'm so sorry for everybody's loss!