I asked God to spare me pain.  He said, "No . . . suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."

As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away.  All the love you create is still there. All the memories are still there.  You live on in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.  Death ends a life, not a relationship.