Pallbearer Etiquette? | Yahoo Answers Pallbearers Etiquette

The usual custom where I grew up is to have a "visitation" at a funeral home, followed by a separate funeral service. If the person who died can be made reasonably presentable by the funeral home, an open casket is possible, but not necessary. In one case, the lady who died was so emaciated and changed by surgery and illness, that the family elected to have a closed casket, with a nice portrait taken in better days placed on top of it.

In the traditions of most churches with which I'm familiar, the casket is always closed during the funeral service. Sometimes the casket is not even present during the church service. Sometimes it's there, at the front of the church, and is wheeled out (or carried out) at the end of the service, to the vehicle that takes it to the cemetery, or directly to the churchyard, where the grave has been prepared. Sometimes the service is held at the funeral home, where the casket remains until it's time to proceed to the cemetery. Sometimes the funeral home discreetly transfers it to a crematorium, and the funeral is actually a memorial service.

As Jack points out, a casket with someone inside it would be a heavy burden to carry, even for six strong men, so actual pallbearers are becoming rare. Honorary pallbearers, who can walk beside the wheeled cart, are more usual these days.

As you can see, there are many choices for funeral arrangements. It's up to the family.