Probably also a dumb move, since it was incidental to my point, and probably skips a crucial argument step. Oh well.

I definitely agree with your last sentence. And this can be as simple as the idea, often observed, that someone 'lives on' in the minds of their loved ones after death. For me that is entirely non supernatural or mystical. As you say (and nicely phrased) our identity is a function of everything from the somatic to the social level.