Just a thought... the article mentioned the priest being a close family friend and that he had been in contact with the family. Perhaps his actions were chosen precisely to bring the greatest "comfort" to the grieving family. Perhaps the parents were estranged from the wayward child and were in danger of losing a 2nd to the wages of unrepentant sin. Perhaps they thought a stern church response might serve their family's interests best.
I agree that funerals are for the living, but without knowing the family details, I would hesitate to draw conclusions.
Technically, in the Catholic Church, the prayers offered at a Funeral Mass or a Requiem Mass are for the dead - that their time being purified be lessened.