Looking for an essay about burial rites.?

This essay would have been published a few decades ago, in the 70s or 80s probably, and it was written by a woman, I believe. The main point of the essay was to talk about how burying the dead was one of the only forms of morality shared between all cultures. The essay also talked about the author's specific experiences of waiting for an ambulance to arrive at the site of a fatal car accident in the middle of nowhere. It was a really beautiful piece of writing, and I'd really like to find it again. Thanks!