The History of Funerals and Funeral Directing in Union County, Pennsylvania – tells the history of funeral directing, the processes and cultural norms through the centuries in American society and Union County, and describes the experiences of the county's funeral directors most in their own words. Several Union County funeral directors come from a multi-generational family of directors. Through their narratives, readers gain insights of how the
lives of funeral directors and their families actually played out. American society has a strong tradition of showing respect for the person who has died by a dignified funeral, when the living “pay their respects” and say their goodbyes. Here is the story of that tradition and how it has changed and continues to change in Central Pennsylvania.