Do you think it was a religious thang? As far as the closed casket goes? Maybe our family is weird (ok, I'll admit we are weird), but I can't remember ever having an open casket funeral going all the way back to my great-grandparents. My mom insisted on cremation, and my grandparents insisted on "no funeral". It took me ages to figure out where they were even buried.
My grandma (on my dad's side) had a funeral, but it was closed casket too.
In the UK (where my hubby is from) they don't do open caskets in his family either.
I guess that's where I get it from. Cremation, and no fancy funeral is my choice
Best,
Mel