I am not an atheist. I am married to an atheist and there are many atheists in my extended family. There are some common denominators among 'my' atheists. First, they did not choose to be an atheist. It is something they recognized and owned up to about themselves. They feel they tried to believe, and belief was beyond their reach. Facing God after death? They feel the one thing they have to offer God is truth--they could not believe, but even so, they did strive to live good lives and to be considerate of others.
Right or wrong? We haven't talked about this, but my guess is that it's like hoping one is taller, thinner, not bald, etc. The reality is that they cannot believe any more than they can grow taller, lose more weight, grow more hair. They live with what they have and who they are.