Diane Meily planned her own funeral as she lay dying of cancer. She met with the mortician at her bedside, chose her own casket and videotaped a farewell message. She was a high school teacher; it was meant to be an inspiration for her students. She envisioned a personal, uplifting service to convey the spirit of her life, capped by the playing of her favorite song, Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”

But Meily’s pastor of 15 years had his own ideas about her funeral. In a call with the family following her death, he turned down several of her last requests, including the song. Meily’s family was devastated. Her father, already weakened and wheelchair-bound from a stroke, wept at the news that his daughter’s funeral would not be as she had hoped.

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