About this episode

Todd Harra discusses the history and evolution of the American funeral and its cultural significance.

For the sixth episode of our death rituals series, we are joined by Todd Harra. Todd is the co-author of the Amazon bestselling books Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt and Over Our Dead Bodies: Undertakers Lift the Lid , as well as the Clip Undertaker Mystery Series. More recently, he authored the funeral history book Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral . Todd works for his family’s business, McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory, where he serves as a funeral director, embalmer, post-mortem reconstructionist, and cremationist. In addition, Todd is an associate editor for Southern Calls Magazine, The Journal of the Funeral Profession . Todd joins us to discuss the long and ever-evolving history of the American funeral, exploring the social and cultural contexts in which many of the death rituals we now consider commonplace were created and transformed over time. Drawing on his family’s long history in funeral service as an anchor, Todd examines the development of practices such as embalming and cremation, and reflects on how shifts in American culture continue to reshape the ways we mourn our dead. The result is a fascinating and informative…

People in this episode

Host: Âme Atendre

Guest: Todd Harra

Topics covered

• death rituals
• American funeral history
• cultural contexts
• mourning practices
• funeral service

Keywords

• funeral history
• embalming
• cremation
• mourning
• death rituals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: McCrery & Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory, Southern Calls Magazine, The Journal of the Funeral Profession

Books & works: Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt, Over Our Dead Bodies: Undertakers Lift the Lid, Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral

More episodes of On the Table with Ashley

• Death Rituals Series: Chevra Kadisha with Gail Rubin · April 22, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Death Rituals Series: Everyday Death Rituals with John Troyer · March 25, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Death Rituals Series: The Art of Ashes Infused Tattoos with Bubblegum Ink · March 11, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Death Rituals: The Legacy of Olvera Street with Christina Mariscal Pasten · February 25, 2026 · 16 min
• Death Rituals Series: Humanist Funerals - A Secular Way to Say Goodbye with Blake Hutchings · February 11, 2026 · 56 min
• Death Rituals Series: Funeral Decisions Every Family Should Talk About with Genevieve Keeney-Vazquez, Part 2 · January 28, 2026 · 58 min

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