I'm going to get a a bit philosophical and will step on the toes of some Christians, so; no offense intended.

Some of you may buy into the belief that the universe has a natural explanation, and if so then you and I believe that all matter has existed from the beginning. The atoms in our bodies are as old as the universe. Quantum Mechanics states that we can't precisely measure the state of matter (sub atomic particals to be exact) if we are trying to observe it at the same time. This means that you and I are not what we seem to be at any instantaneous moment.

With this knowledge, I believe that our memories of a dead person is no less than representation our brains conjured when they were alive. The pathology has to be very similar. I think about my dad from time to time and even have conversations (in my mind) that we never had, knowing that his atoms are with us being occupied by some other creature. Does this vanquish the pain of losing a loved one. No but, to me it make sense of death.