Just curious.
My question comes about becuase an old friend of mine died recently-he had no immediate family-just a second cousin or two. I hadn’t seen the guy in years, and I was unable to visit-I guess the wake was pretty sad-only about 8 people showed up.
In the classic American play “Death of a Salesman”, the salesman (Willy Loman) regrets the shit sandwich life has given him, but is consoled by the belief that his funeral will be well attended…“they will come from miles around”-yet when the day comes, only his wife and worthless sons are there.
Still, what does it matter to you? If you are strongly religious-nothing matters except being united with God.
If you are an atheist, theres nothing afterward anyway-so who cares?
Anyhow, would it bother you to know that your passing will evoke no interest at all?
Since I would be dead it wouldn’t matter to me. But I’d like to think that I would make enough of an impact that people would come to celebrate my life.
But that’s living Lobohan talking. Dead Lobohan could not give less of a fuck.
If I was aware that nobody was attending my funeral, you’re damn right I’d be upset!
“Hellllluppp! I’m still alive!! My ghod-let me out of heeerrree!!!”
No. Because I’d be…ya know…dead?
If I can avoid it I will not have a funeral. No, not by living forever. I’d rather they just burn me and toss my ashes into the bin.
Your second question is “would it bother you to know that your passing will evoke no interest at all?” Yes, it would bother me if I knew nobody would care if I died. I would try to interest at least one person in my life.
Fictionally, Jay Gatsby’s funeral is sparsely attended too.
As for me, I don’t care if I even have a funeral.
Nope- I intend to outlive 'em all 
I’ve been to so many funerals in my life. People better show up to repay the favor!
(And not the dead people whose funerals I attended, but their living relatives to which I was doing the favor)
(Unless the dead people want to show up too. That’d be the ultimate gesture.)
My experience has been that wake and funeral attendance is mostly a function of (a) age at death, since younger people have more surviving peers; and (b) the popularity of one’s children. Want a crowd? Die young and have popular, outgoing kids.
I plan on living forever on the blood of virgins, hence my interest in sci-fi and RPGs. Baring that, I guess that since I will only be there in body it is only fair that everyone else get a pass as well.
My mother’s side of the family is pretty anti-funeral, and that has rubbed off on me. If some of my friends want to get together and have a few drinks while remembering me, more power to 'em.
I want cremation and for a long time didn’t even want a memorial service. Then a good friend of mine was killed in a car accident and his parents didn’t have a service - just cremation. I never got the closure (I dislike that word but cannot think of another) that a service brings. So I’m basically leaving it up to whoever deals with the carcass. If a service was held and no one attended I wouldn’t really be surprised; many of my friends avoid funerals.
I’m planning to be dead for my funeral, so it honestly won’t matter to me if anyone shows up. At the end of the day, one would like to think one has touched a few lives enough to have them come and pay their respects, but to be honest, as long as I go to the grave feeling the planet is a little bit better for having me in it, I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
[/slight hijack
A story that relates somewhat to the OP. Several years ago a coworkers of mine passed away. He was 34. He lived with his parents, didn’t have a drivers license so didn’t socialize, and didnt have family except his parents. He wasnt popular at work, bit wasn’t disliked either: just another guy washing dishes. When we found out he had died (it was expected; he had cancer), those of us that were planning on attending were worried nobody would show up, because he didn’t have much of a life.
Man, were we wrong. His funeral was in a big, park like cemetery, and there hundreds of people there. He had been a bartender years ago, and had made lots of friends. We just didn’t know about them. I imagine he would have been blown away if knew how many people showed up. It was quite emotional for those of us who thought nobody would come.
Anyway, just because someone is worried that nobody will show up doesn’t mean that nobody will.
Carry on.
[/sh
I can’t remember a funeral in my family and I’m about the last one left. I won’t be having a funeral. Cremation and out. A friend may throw some ashes in my favorite park and the rest in the trash.
Any time a thread rolls around about funerals the notion that funerals are for the living is the prevailing thought.
I agree with that, and that’s why I go to funerals. I want the families to know that their person made an impression on me.
Whether I’d be bothered or surprised if nobody came to mine (if there were going to be one)depends on how many times I make it around the sun.
My mom’s parents died in their 60s. My grandmother was still working, and both of them we very active in a variety of civic organizations and their church. Over 500 people attended their memorial service in the community center.
My dad’s parents lived into their late 80s and although they had also been social and active folks, at the end of their lives they were in assisted living close to where my uncle’s family lived. Their living relatives numbered in the single digits, and we didn’t live close together. There really wasn’t anyone to attend a service, so they didn’t have them.
So, if I checked out tomorrow I think I could safely rely on professional associates, church friends, and about a dozen each personal friends and relatives to show up (though I don’t know who’d organize it.)
My husband and I live in a rural community where it’s not uncommon for people to know one another’s families for many generations (for example, he has known five generations of the family that farms across the road from us), and we both have enormous extended families that mostly live within a 30-mile radius. There are lots of families like ours around here. Because it’s a community with low turnover and lots of interconnecting families and friends, funerals tend to be well-attended, and are often significant community events.
It would bother me if no one attended my funeral. It would mean I’d become completely alienated from everyone I’ve known since I was born, and all of their progeny.
No, that’s why I don’t even have life insurance. When I get married and have kids I will, but I don’t care. They can toss my remains in a rubbish bag for all I care
I plan to sprinkle my own ashes in a small but dignified natural setting, and it doesn’t really matter if lots of people attend or not.
Actually, maybe it does matter. You think I could get a bunch of people from the Nature Conservancy to show up if I mentioned to them that attendance triggered a big donation in my will?
The thing that gets me down sometimes is that I figure ahead of time there won’t be many there. I don’t have kids and am not married. If I die in old age my siblings will be old too. I have only two nephews, maybe they and their kids, if any, will mark my passing. There will probably be a few women from my church group.
If there are two dozen at my funeral I’ll be surprised. Sigh.