Laughing at a funeral - it happens! And this is IN PUBLIC, not just a private reaction to a phone message.
You really capture how natural the reaction was, yet how horrifying to be called out for it.
Sadly, I know this feeling all too well,
.... I decided right then that I wasn't going to see him; I had to avoid saying or doing the wrong thing at all cost. I never did see him or talk to him after his dad died. It took me decades to get over that fear of saying or doing the wrong thing around a person who is grieving.

I'm sorry if this is a true story and you really did stay away out of a fear of saying or doing something inappropriate. Somehow I don't get the feeling this one is pure fiction.

You are almost 50....? Still very young!
I'm only just barely old enough to be your mother.
At first I pictured you in your late 20s, early 30s.
The more I read, the more I realize "ah, he too comes from the 1900s," which may partly explain why I am so impressed with your writing talent. :)