Who do you make an effort to pay your respects to?

When someone passes…who do you drop everything to go pay your respects and where do you draw the line between wanting to be there but circumstances just won’t allow it? If you are able to pay your respects in another way besides in person attendance…how is this done?

I would like input to this delicate time of life and with all due respect towards @Gailcalled’s recent passing that many of us wanted to be there but could not…that said I am grateful that @Luckyguy for his own reasons found a way to be there to pay his and virtually our respects.

I ask this because years ago my aunt…my dad’s sister passed while I was on vacation in Colorado and despite my best efforts I could not secure plane tickets for my entire family to make the trip back in time and have been handed a guilt trip by the family ever since. A recent passing of a person who was so indirectly in my life has created a dilemma with the Holidays and being able to attend the wake/funeral.

At what point do you say I just cannot make it and how do you communicate your sentiments??