Woman Says Family Gave Her a 'Hard Time' for Missing Grandpa's Funeral Because of the Cost: 'I Already Feel So Guilty'

The woman said the travel and accommodations would have cost about "half of all the money I had at the time"

Rearview of a family of mourners sitting in pews at a church funeral service
People at a funeral (stock image). Photo:

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A woman skipped her grandfather’s funeral due to high travel costs — and she doesn't think it’s “fair” that her family gave her a “hard time” about it.

In a post on Reddit’s “Am I the A------” forum, the woman said her grandfather had been in poor health for a while and died last year while she "was backpacking [and working] in Asia.”

The woman's family, she said, planned to hold a funeral service several weeks later in a “different state than where we are all from," and when looking into travel options, the cost of a ticket from Asia to the U.S. — combined with the winter clothes she would need to buy and out-of-state accommodations for the trip — would amount to about $3,000, which the woman said was about "half of all the money I had at the time."

She also said that her job only enables her to “get by,” as opposed to “save up,” and the woman reiterated that $3,000 was a “lot of money for me.”

In honoring a departed loved one, a tribute was created on a table, a bouquet of white flowers, including lilies and roses, symbolizing purity and remembrance. An illuminated candle and a rosary signifying light and prayers for the departed soul.
Flowers at a memorial service (stock image).

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When the woman told her family that she would not be attending the funeral, she said she “got a bit of flack," and her mom — who she admitted was already “dealing with losing her dad” — “didn’t talk to me during this time.”

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I’m worried about seeing my family when I go back home,” the woman continued, adding, “I already feel so guilty for missing the funeral because I loved my grandpa and I feel like I’ve not processed his death yet since I’ve been out of the country for so long."

"But I don’t feel like it’s fair for them to make me feel bad for it," she concluded.

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Red flower on tombstone at cemetery
Man placing a flower on a gravestone (stock image).

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In the comments section of the post, many said the woman should not feel bad for prioritizing her financial security over a funeral — and that her family should not have made her feel bad for doing so.

“If it is so important for you to be there, your family can help you defray the cost. I suspect wiping out your savings is not what your grandfather would have wanted," one user wrote.

Another person agreed, writing: “Funerals are for the living. The dead are gone and not coming back. If it was so important to your family that you be there, they should have helped you with the cost of attending once you made it clear that it wasn't possible for you to do it.”

“I'm sorry for your loss, but rest assured your grandpa couldn't care less whether you were there or not. You hold him in your heart and that's what matters,” reassured another commenter.

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