Dawn:
This is correct.My father (an elder) passed away in October. I went with my mother to give him a last goodby at the funeral a few hours after he passed, picked out the casket, went to the flower shop and ordered the flowers, had the memorial pamplets printed up, basically did most of the arrangements myself because my brothers (all elders) lived out of town and mom was too distraught (understandably).
Greven:
it is the official policy!!! there was an article in the WT of june or juli questions of "readers" and that said pretty much the same.I didn't think about the 'line,' when my mother died. They had hers at the funeral home -- my guess is because she has TWO apostate children.
Outside the funeral home (speaking of Star Trek) my once-lifetime-best-friend was helping his mother into the car, about 50 feet away. He glanced over where I was standing, and saw me looking his way (I think my sister'd pointed him out to me), and did the "Klingon turn of death" I mean, LITERALLY turned his whole body away from me, arms folded over his chest.
My sister INSISTED that my step-father had made arrangements for us to go to the "after party" (do they have 'wakes'?). But we were asked to leave, while my heathen never-been-a-JW cousins stuffed their faces. I'd told my sis that we wouldn't be welcome, but she said her JW elder daddy had worked it all out.
Not that I really cared -- except for the inconvenience of not going straight from the cemetary to somewhere without so much drama. I just regret that I didn't show up in my Roman Collar
Keep the Faith
RAY