William M. Lamers along with Robert W. Habenstein published The History of American Funeral Directing in 1955. Both Habenstein and
Lamers wrote several books on the history of funereal practices, social customs
related to burial practices in America, and human responses to death, including
Funeral Customs the World Over (1960). They also
wrote extensively about the American family and American social structure.
William M. Lamers was born in 1900 and died in 1961. He was the assistant
superintendent of schools in Milwaukee and the author of many books, including
several on the Civil War. Robert W. Habenstein was born in 1914 and died in 2011.
Habenstein was emeritus professor of sociology at the College of Arts and Sciences,
University of Missouri-Columbia. Besides The History of
American Funeral Directing, he also co-wrote The
Family in Various Cultures and Ethnic Families in
America: Patterns and Variations.
