AdvertisementPresidential Funerals: From Private Family Affairs To Major National EventsDecember 02, 2018Greg MyrefacebookEmailPresident George W. Bush laid a wreath at George Washington's tomb in Mount Vernon, Va., on the 275th anniversary of his birth, Feb. 19, 2007. Bush is accompanied by Gay Hart Gaines of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Washington set a tradition for early presidents with a modest funeral on his family property. Today's presidential funerals are national events planned by a military task force. (AP)