Is it your choice or theirs?
I have not spoken to my Mother for at least 40 years and do not know if she is still living.
Unfortunately she beat her children without mercy before leaving. She left when I was 7.
I went to see her when I was 19? and asked why such brutal beatings and she had no satisfactory answer.
I have 4 siblings, all of whom fled Tasmania because of the sad home situation.
I have no idea where two of them are.
One died of alcohol induced injuries aged 32.
I tracked down the whereabouts of my younger brother whom I last spoke to in 1995.
His phone number was in my mobile for over two years before I finally rang.
That was maybe 4 years ago.
Got an automated answering machine with no owner’s name. Left a message, never heard anything.
I haven’t spoken with my sister since 2014, when my aunt died I was executor to her will, she accused me of trying to cheat her from her share, I’d never cheat anybody let alone my own flesh and blood, I don’t even know if she’s still alive, it’s a shame really as we did have a good relationship before, if she made contact, I’d be open to reconciliation…
Sad how some family members lose all decorum when parents pass away.
Probably many on my Father’s side. Most 1st cousins have passed, but they did have kids, don’t know any of them.
Only through a Medium.
Not at the moment but I hadn’t spoken to my in-laws for more than ten years and to my twin brother for four years. After that time reconciliation was possible, in both cases initiated by me, but things are not as they had been before the rift. The reason was a dominant behaviour of my FIL and a major promise not kept which my family depended and relied on. As for my brother, he simply was envious and wanted to punish me for having been more successful than him. I felt I didn’t deserve it.
Reconciliation is worth it, though.
It depends on how far one goes into a family distance relationship
Sometimes stubborn pride can do more damage than the initial reason for the fall out. And sometimes it’s better left alone afterwards if it causes too much grief.
There’s one or two posts on this thread where I can understand why no reconciliation has been attempted, even whilst it might have been considered.
Family can inflict a great deal of pain upon each other.
How unsettling if they did … I’d run a mile.
I had no contact with my abusive drunken Father for 31 years. When he did eventually tried to make contact with me, I totally ignored him and never saw him again, as he died 3 years later. It was a decision I never regretted, given what he did.
My family is full of estrangement, looking from the outside in its quite shocking . Too deep to go into . Heartbreaking 
Mrs Fox and me are both only childs so no siblings, but my Mum and Dad both had brothers, so I had three cousins on my mothers side and two cousins on my fathers side. Some of them died and some moved away, and the cousins on my Fathers side fell out with us over some argy bargy after Dad’s brother died so haven’t seen them since.
Although he was a good Dad, he didn’t suffer fools gladly, and had a bit of a temper…So distant relatives didn’t visit very often. I remember him punching one when when I was about 10…It was a good punch if I recall. Never saw them again…
The relatives on Mrs Fox’s side are brilliant, and we keep in touch often, but there are some skeletons in the cupboard and one has been ostracised.
Not my family, so I keep the hell out… 
Foxy, when one side goes, all is left is your testimony and, you have to switch sides and commit, tricky one.