Reply #2: Before my loved one died, I'd want to visit.

[flvegan]

If they don't remember it, that's okay. Know why? Because the chance that they will exists. We don't really know what folks realize when they're in the final stages of death.

Visiting after death is a very kind form of respect, but the person is gone at that point. You're visiting a body (sorry if this sounds really shitty).

I watched my father wheeled past me while still alive, but on Death's door. The sentiment I expressed then and the sorrow I felt at the time trumps my thoughts at the funeral. Never got to speak to him, never got to say good bye. But, somehow, I know that he knows I was there. That's my "more importantly, why?" answer. It's selfish, as it is all about my thoughts and feelings.