Young Sheldon makes George's funeral even sadder with one missing character

Young Sheldon presented the most traumatic experience of Sheldon Cooper's life: his father's death. At the very moment that he received an offer for his longtime dream job, George Sr. passed away in episode 13 of the last season.

The Cooper patriarch, who claimed to have given up a lot for his family, was slated to have one of his wishes come true. To add to the sad turn of events was the fact that no one from his original family, including his sister Ruth, attended his funeral.

For viewers who may have missed the series, Young Sheldon is the spinoff of the original series, The Big Bang Theory. The spinoff was the coming-of-age story of a younger Sheldon Cooper, the science genius. It also managed to explain two threads dropped in the original: George's alleged affair and his death.

Young Sheldon presented George Sr. as a devoted father, committed to his family at the cost of his growth. One of the things he may have given up is his connection with his original family, parents, and siblings.

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Young Sheldon: Who was conspicuously missing in George's funeral?

Aunt Ruth missed George's funeral (Image via Instagram@youngsheldoncbs)

As many fans may have noticed, Sheldon's aunt and George's sister, Ruth, were nowhere to be seen in episode 13, titled Funeral. This absence stands out since Ruth represented a close blood relation of the Cooper senior's original family. Having at least arrived to stand by the bereaved Mary and the children after George's death was the least a family member was expected to do.

Ruth Cooper was mentioned by Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory and The Engagement Reaction. At the time, Sheldon had explained how she had gone to visit his uncle Roger and contracted some disease. Sheldon had told me how she died a week later in a hospital.

Ruth also found a mention in Young Sheldon in the episode titled A Proposal and a Popsicle Stick Cross. The audience realized that Aunt Ruth was George's senior sister. The Cooper kids also remembered her staying with them once, and they did not have happy memories of their interaction.

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Young Sheldon: What does Ruth's absence at the funeral indicate?

Mary and George Cooper from the series (Image via Instagram@youngsheldoncbs)

Ruth, George Sr.'s sister, may not have had a happy experience staying with the Coopers in the past. Despite that, she was expected to attend her brother's funeral after his sudden and untimely demise, which shocked his family.

Her obvious and noticeable absence highlights some kind of rift in the family. What makes it heartbreaking is that Ruth continued the estrangement up to George's funeral, choosing not to turn up to express grief. This, additionally, underlines the alienation George faced from his side of the family.

George had acknowledged being unhappy in one episode when he told Mary how much he had to sacrifice for the family he was building. He was busy shouldering the responsibility of providing for his wife and kids and raising them well. However, his sacrifices may have included giving up his original family.

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What happened during George's funeral on Young Sheldon?

George's death due to a massive heart attack at work was revealed in episode 12 of the seventh season of the spinoff. Episode 13 presents the grieving Cooper family coping with their loss.

At the funeral, the family members spoke about George while Sheldon thought back about his father. Connie gave a humorous eulogy, while Mary expressed sad frustration. All the while, Sheldon wondered what he should say since he loved his father and would miss him.

As the room showed many people the Cooper family knew in attendance, Aunt Ruth was absent.

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The final season of Young Sheldon is available to stream on Paramount+.