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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EndNotes

No compassionate sense

My young friend, Laura, writes about the funeral for her mom who died in 2007: "Something I wish I had known was that at a Catholic funeral mass there can't be a flower arrangement on top of the casket. There is a cross and a sheet (pall). So I paid $200 for a bunch of roses that sat in the back of the church."

This sad day was made more difficult when the mourners had to serve the ritual, instead of the ritual serving the family.



Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.