Peggy O'Leary grew up in a funeral home, her family's business.

And as with most family businesses, Peggy began helping out when she was a kid.

When I was little, I was an altar server.

And I don't know why this funeral specifically, I, it was a little old lady, there was like five people in church.

And the old man was crying,

and I could not stop crying on the altar, like sobbing.

And now in my mind, I'm like 13.

I'm like, no one's noticing me.

But I don't know why this funeral of all the funerals that I'd seen or I'd, you know, served,

this one, I think it was because it was such a small, intimate. And I remember thinking,

like, I mean, my family is eight. Like, so there was less people here for this little old lady

than there are in my immediate family. But so when I came home, I've never had my mom had this

look of, like, she was mad at me. And I was like, what's wrong? And she's like, so we have to

have conversation. You cannot cry at funerals your dad came home and told me that you were sobbing on

the altar which obviously it's sad and if you don't want to work funerals you shouldn't do it

but it's not about us and you have to remember that that like if you do feel like you're going to cry, you need to step away.

We have to be the person that when you come and you're a mess and you can't even remember what your mom's maiden name was, you know, we have to be the calming person that helps you get through it from start to finish.

One of the things you mentioned is that there were probably more O'Leary's in the funeral home than there were attendees at the funeral for that old woman who died.

And that seems like a particularly striking detail in this moment when the people who are

dying aren't allowed to have their families at services around them when they pass,

otherwise remembering their lives.

And I just, I feel like part of that memory is about the loneliness of death, right?

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