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Should I Skip My Ex-Husband's Funeral After a Painful Divorce?

A woman asks whether she can forgo attending her former husband's funeral, citing years of betrayal and lingering resentment.

After a two-decade marriage dissolved when Lloyd claimed his feelings had changed and soon moved in with another woman, the writer faced community backlash fueled by his accusations of infidelity. She later remarried, cared for her second husband until his death, and only learned of Lloyd's passing via a friend, with no contact from his relatives. Still hurt by his past actions, she feels indifferent and questions whether attending his funeral would be disingenuous.

The columnist advises that funeral attendance is a personal choice meant to support grieving families, which in this case likely would not welcome her. She is encouraged to honor her own feelings and consider spending the day with supportive friends instead.

Why it matters

It highlights how personal grief and past trauma influence decisions about funeral etiquette.

In this story

cheating ex-husbandfuneral attendancegrief advicemoving onfamily resentment