h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm from southern Kentucky, I've buried two grandparents and numerous anunts and uncles, and I've never heard of this.

My family is from south-eastern KY, I don't recall this either...but I have seen it in GA and OH. I remember still having wakes though when I was little in the mid 70's. I wonder if any other places do that anymore? I know that area was heavily settled by the Irish and Scots, and I know they USED to do it...anyone know?

Heck, yeah. The wake seems more to the point than the memorial service, anyway. I was raised close to a large Welsh family, and they have wakes, still (2006). The wake seems a better way to remember the person as they were, since the memorial service all too often begins with "although I did not have the privilege of knowing..." One concession to the fast pace of modern life is that the wake does not continue more than about 5-6 hours, and no one actually gets so drunk they can't stay standing. This is probably because we all seem to have jobs to return to (fortunately).