Post como 
FWIW, they did speak English–the wife better than he. In fact her English was almost fluent.
And I’m not so sure that they’re Mexican–blunder on my part; they may be from Central America. I never asked their nationality, anyway.
I think “como” was a typo. Username/post combo - casserole + green bean. 
Its also Spanish for I eat, so its an appropriate typo. 
Probably more help than a casserole is just stepping in and doing some of her yard work or outside home repairs for a bit. Around here, its snow shoveling - a new widow should just find her driveway and sidewalks clean without having to worry about it.
Just as there are wedding services and wedding masses, there are also funeral services and funeral masses. If it’s the latter, communion will not be dispensed. It is not required to have a funeral mass in a Catholic church.
And it has become less common. When everyone you knew shared your religion, and had to go to mass anyway, you might as well have a mass. When your coworkers are Protestant, your neighbors are Jewish and your son in law is not religious at all - a mass drags things out and can be uncomfortable for the mourners. It is possible to go to a lot of Catholic funerals in the U.S. and never get a mass.
Yes, but the parenthesis implied that Communion would never take place at a funeral. See the difference?
Yeah, every Catholic service I’ve ever been to involves Communion, Mass or not.
I’d say prepare for a Mass. I don’t know why everyone seems to think it’s so long – it’s an hour. Hardly an eternity.
Moving from MPSIMS to IMHO.
Nitpick: There’s no communion without a mass, unless you’re sick and someone has to bring it to you at home.
Or it’s Good Friday.
At my dad’s funeral, about 5 or 6 families of Muslim faith slipped quietly into the church and sat in the back pews. They were neighbors of my parents whose children looked to my dad as a grandfather figure.
They didn’t participate in the mass, just quietly slipped in and towards the end of the service, quietly filed out.
My mother was very touched by all those families doing that. Even my big brother, who I’ve rarely seen cry, shed a lone tear when he saw all those Muslim families in our Catholic church.
There’s no mass on Good Friday.
Edit: Ah, I see what you mean. Right.
I know its not strictly a Catholic custom but some are shocked when they see an open casket wake. I know several of my Jewish friends were shocked when they attended my father’s wake.
Or services without a priest present that may be held in schools, nursing homes, hospitals, etc when a priest is not available ( and I understand sometimes in parishes without a full-time priest assigned. ) I’ve never been to a Catholic funeral that was not a Mass, but I would imagine there is some sort of funeral service that can be conducted by a deacon with pre-consecrated hosts.
When my grandparents died (2001, 2002) there was a service with communion.
When my dad died (2007), there was no communion, though it was a Catholic funeral.
I have no idea why there was a difference*, and it was thinking about my Dad’s service that made me say the statement.
*Well, my grandparents were devout and they donated a lot of money to the Church, while my father was a Christmas-Easter Catholic, so that may have had something to do with it.
Huh. The only Catholic services I know of for funerals are Masses:
Memorial Mass – when the body is not present
Mass of Christian Burial when it is.
Out of curiosity: Under what conditions is a Requiem Mass observed?
Go. It will be appreciated. Regardless of all the discussion here, no one will care about your Catholic etiquette or lack of it. The important thing is that you’re there.
I’m sorry about your neighbor. 
Just go. No one will say anything unless your clothes or skin starts to smoke or catch fire.
Maybe you were just being funny, but I thought this was a Jewish custom? Not being Catholic or Jewish, I have no frame of reference.