Death, Life & the Big Questions
How Have Funerals Changed Over the Last 100 Years?
Reviewed by Everendium Editorial Team · Last reviewed August 24, 2026
Quick answer
American funerals a century ago were generally simpler, more home-centered affairs, often held in the family's own house with the body prepared there rather than at a funeral home. Over the 20th century, funerals shifted toward professionalized, funeral-home-centered services, embalming became far more common and expected, and more recently, cremation and personalized celebrations of life have grown substantially - a shift toward both more standardization mid-century and more individual customization in recent decades.
Walk into a funeral today and compare it to one from a century ago, and the differences are considerable — a reflection of broader changes in how American families have come to handle death.
A century ago: home-centered and simpler
In the early 20th century, death was generally handled much closer to home, often literally — bodies were commonly prepared and viewed within the family’s own house, rather than at a dedicated professional facility. This reflected both practical necessity, given how much less developed the funeral industry was at the time, and a cultural approach to death that was simply more intimate and home-based than what became standard later.
The rise of the professionalized funeral home
Over the following decades, funeral practice shifted substantially toward professionalized, funeral-home-centered service. Embalming, once a wartime and presidential exception (see our history of embalming), became an increasingly standard, expected part of the process, supporting an emerging funeral industry built around embalming, formal viewing, and structured services.
Mid-century standardization
For a significant stretch of the 20th century, American funerals became considerably more standardized — a fairly uniform expected sequence of visitation, formal service, burial, following a consistent format across much of the country. This reflected the maturing funeral industry’s own established norms as much as it did family preference.
Cremation’s substantial growth
In recent decades, cremation has grown from a relatively uncommon choice into an option selected by a large and growing share of American families. This shift reflects several real factors together: cost sensitivity, growing environmental awareness, and a broader cultural loosening of expectations that burial was the only appropriate choice.
The recent shift toward personalization
Perhaps the most significant recent change is a move away from standardized service formats toward genuine personalization — celebrations of life reflecting a specific individual’s personality, unique venues, personally chosen music and readings, and services structured around who the person actually was rather than a uniform template. This represents a real departure from the more standardized mid-century approach, echoing, in some ways, a return to the more personal, individualized character of funerals from a century earlier — even as the practical infrastructure supporting modern funerals remains far more developed.
What this history suggests about where things are headed
If the past century shows anything, it’s that funeral practice continues to evolve alongside broader cultural, economic, and technological change — suggesting current trends toward personalization and flexibility are likely to keep developing further, rather than representing a final, settled state.
This reflects broad historical trends in American funeral practice - specific regional, cultural, and family traditions have always varied considerably within this larger pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Were funerals typically held at home a century ago?+
Yes, generally - it was common for a death to be handled largely within the family home, with the body prepared and often viewed there, rather than at a dedicated funeral home facility, which reflected both practical necessity and a more home-centered approach to death at the time.
When did embalming become widespread rather than exceptional?+
Embalming became increasingly common and expected over the 20th century, moving from a wartime and presidential exception (see our history of embalming) toward a standard, professionalized part of funeral service offered by an emerging funeral industry.
How has cremation's popularity changed?+
Cremation has grown substantially in the U.S. over recent decades, moving from a relatively uncommon choice to one selected by a large and growing share of American families, reflecting shifts in cost sensitivity, environmental awareness, and changing cultural attitudes toward burial.
What does 'personalization' mean in more recent funeral trends?+
This refers to a broader shift toward services reflecting the specific individual - personalized celebrations of life, unique venues, meaningful music and readings chosen by the family - rather than a more uniform, standardized service format common in the mid-20th century.
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