People were taken aback when I said I'd given PA's body to the medical school. Evidently it's not a common thing here. It solved a host of problems. He always said he didn't care what happened to him after he died since he wouldn't know anything about it. I took him at his word.
A memorial service is in the planning stages (i.e. we'll do one sometime in November)
I think it's an excellent choice. I need to write a will and specify that I want my own body donated.
I think my brother and sister can handle the idea of me not being buried in the family plot, which I
can't be unless I have a Catholic funeral, which ain't happening, because I'm not gonna be a hypocrite.
Best not to let your wishes known in a will. That's not read/used until well after you're dead. An Act of Donation made while you're alive (simply a form from the Med School) is what you need to fill out. If we had done this before PA died, we would not have been responsible for the cost of transporting his body from the hospital to the Med School, about $500.
Are you sure you need to have a Catholic funeral? Things are changing quickly. When I was growing up, cremation was forbidden, suicides were not buried in sacred ground, etc.