There’s a drawer in my office filled with at least a dozen and half issues of a magazine that has been out of print for over two years. While most magazines are easy to discard in the recycle bin after a month or so, I just can’t seem to part with my copies of Southern Calls, the coffee table style book that featured striking photos and moving stories about southern funeral homes throughout the United States. Every now and then, I enjoy flipping through its thick, cardstock like pages to see the impressive and distinct ways funeral homes in the south approach their work.
What’s the first image that comes to mind when you picture a southern funeral? Is a cemetery adorned with wisps of Spanish moss floating in the air? Is it a group of mourners taking part in walking procession from a church to a gravesite? Perhaps you imagine a table filled with casserole dishes, a horse-drawn hearse or the tall white pillars of a mansion-style funeral home building? Whatever image comes to your mind first, what they all have in common is a sense of warmth, community, and tradition that seems uniquely Southern.
Southern funeral homes don’t just provide a service—they create spaces where families feel known, supported, and honored in ways that are deeply personal and memorable. They are truly the heart of the community. Those special, distinct touches linger long after the service ends, leaving a lasting mark on everyone they touch.
Here are 7 Things That Make Southern Funeral Homes Special
1. Strong church and faith connections
Southern funeral homes are deeply rooted in their faith communities, often working hand-in-hand with local churches in a way that feels truly personal. In fact, studies from organizations like Pew Research Center show that roughly 38–40% of Southerners attend church regularly, significantly higher than other regions of the country. That connection means funeral directors aren’t just service providers—they’re familiar faces in the pews, part of the same support system families turn to in times of loss. It’s this closeness to both faith and community that makes Southern funeral homes feel less like businesses and more like an extension of the families they serve.
2. Southern hospitality approach to service
It’s hard to pin down the indefinable qualities that make a southern funeral home experience so distinct. There’s a noticeable warmth in how families are cared for—funeral directors may spend more time with families, offer more personal touches, and create an environment that feels welcoming rather than transactional. Here at ASD, we have observed that southern funeral homes often have a different approach to customer service as well. It’s not uncommon for our southern clients to want all calls immediately patched. We recognized here how important these preferences were—not just as a workflow choice, but as a reflection of the level of attentiveness and personal connection their communities expect.
In response, our answering service made a deliberate effort to better support these needs by developing a dedicated Southern team of Call Specialists. We placed a strong emphasis on understanding southern communication styles, including the use of polite, respectful language, a warm tone, and the kind of attentiveness that mirrors the service their funeral homes provide every day. Today, we’re proud to have over 100 Call Specialists located throughout the southern United States, allowing our southern team answering service to deliver a level of familiarity and care that aligns seamlessly with the expectations of the families our clients serve.
3. Home-style receptions and food traditions
After the service, it’s common for churches or family members to host large meals—often called a repast—where attendees share comfort food, stories, and fellowship with the family. Food plays a big role in the grieving and support process. Many southern funeral homes take an active role in helping families coordinate these events and may even offer facilities for hosting. While in other parts of the country, funeral luncheons may be catered, in the south they are more likely to be potlucks that include homemade casseroles and traditional recipes, with some even reserving specific dishes for such occasions. One of our favorite examples is the Funeral Potatoes casserole which features hash browns, condensed soup, sour cream, cheese topped with cornflakes.
4. Emphasis on appearance and presentation
When I think of southern funeral traditions, I often think of the movie Elizabethtown featuring Orlando Bloom. In the film, his character travels to his father’s hometown to bring him home after his passing, and there’s a scene where he’s on the phone with his sister explaining the situation. Frustrated, she asks why he can’t just arrange a cremation, and he responds with a line that captures the cultural difference perfectly—something to the effect of, “They don’t like doing cremations here… they don’t even like saying the word.” It’s a small moment, but it speaks volumes about the deep-rooted traditions and perspectives that can shape funeral service in the South.
While Elizabethtown may be over 20 years old now, the cremation rate in the south is still the lowest of anywhere else in the country. The south also retains higher embalming rates, often exceeding the national average. There’s often a strong focus on restorative art, viewing presentation, and making sure the deceased “looks like themselves.” Open-casket services are still very common. This attention to detail and reverence for presentation reflects the South’s enduring commitment to honoring loved ones with care, dignity, and a personal touch that feels both heartfelt and timeless.
5. Large community turn out
One thing that really stands out about southerners is their understanding of the importance of showing up. When a loss occurs, friends, neighbors, church members, and extended family often attend in large numbers to show support for the grieving family. It’s not unusual for people to “stop by” even if they didn’t know the deceased closely. Just being there in and of itself is a show of support and this gesture is deeply rooted in the identity of southern folk. Southern funeral homes play a meaningful role in fostering this culture of showing up by keeping their communities informed about the families they are serving while also creating spaces and schedules that welcome large gatherings
6. Slow, more relational pace
With more visitors attending, Southern funeral homes naturally offer extended visitation periods and a more unhurried approach to services. Life in the South moves at a gentler rhythm, so it makes sense that even in death, there’s more time to pause and reflect. Unlike regions where funerals are shorter and more rushed, Southern services embrace a slower pace, giving families the space for connection, storytelling, and heartfelt mourning.
7. Processions and public displays of respect
While funeral processions are common in all parts of the country, in recent years many funeral directors have lamented a lack of reverence for this time-honored tradition. Impatient drivers and a general lack of awareness in many parts of the country can make processions stressful and even hurtful for grieving families, but down in the South—especially in small towns—this reverence is still alive thanks in large part to the funeral directors who must coordinate everything. Many processions are grand affairs, complete with police escorts, horse-drawn carriages, or even walking processions with jazz bands in New Orleans. It’s not uncommon for strangers to pause on the side of the road, tipping their hats or standing quietly, honoring a family they may not even know. This cultural respect shows just how deeply Southern communities value acknowledging loss and supporting one another in moments of grief.
What quality do you think best defines southern funeral homes? Share in the comments below.
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