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 Decades ago, when my mother was a young girl, Gus and Lillian Geiger Hunter attended the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Columbia County, Florida. On April 17, 2004, my mother graciously agreed to my request to learn more about the family history, and she provided me with a tour of some of the places where her family had lived when she was a young girl. At one time, the Hunter family lived close by and attended the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.
The church has a cemetery that is well planned with graves lined up with a precision that speaks well of the planning for burial in the church cemetery. One grave that I observed was that of Sandra J. McIntosh (b. Nov. 11, 1943, d. Aug. 24, 1963). I like some aspects of this grave very much, yet in my opinion, there was some important information missing; this information would have completed this beloved woman’s life story.
Looking at the site, I can see that Sandra’s parents are both deceased. Their graves indicate that Sandra was the first child of Henry E. McIntosh (b. Oct. 14, 1914, d. May 22, 1996) and Lucille McIntosh (b. Feb. 20, 1920, d. Mar. 6, 1998). Other children, as identified on the double monument for Henry and Lucille McIntosh, are Randy, Cynthia, Pamela, Teresa, and Candace. According to their memorial, Henry and Lucille were married on June 29, 1940. Memorialization on Henry and Lucille’s memorial was limited to names, dates of birth, marriage, death, and the names of their children.
Always Identify The Wife’s Maiden Name on Memorials
Before I discuss Sandra’s memorial’s strengths and weakness, I’d like to note that unfortunately, Lucille McIntosh’s maiden name was not identified on her memorial. I always encourage identifying the maiden name in both the obituary and on the memorial to assist genealogists and family historians.
Strengths:
Sandra’s gravesite has coping in a blue-gray color that is low profile, and the coping surrounds the gravesite. In memorials that we design, I strongly favor the use of coping and stone chips which serve as a ground covering that facilitates maintenance and upkeep. Also, coping serves as a protective barrier to protect monuments from lawn mowers and cemetery maintenance equipment.
Sandra’s memorial is modest, but it is made of light pink granite that I like. There are hundreds of colors of granite, and gray is overused in most cemeteries. Also, I think some colors are defined as masculine and some as feminine. Pink is a beautiful color most suitable for a young woman who was struck down short of her 20th birthday, as unfortunately, Sandra was.
The memorial is P5 (polished on the front, back, top, and sides) with an interesting bevel that provides space for the name, and dates of birth and death, and an epitaph.
The ledger and the memorial match and complement each other well. There is softness to the Vermillion Rose color and the gray granite chips that I like.
Unusual for most gravesites is the use of decorative trim that ties together the memorial and the coping. Also, the granite chips cover the sides of the ledger giving a very attractive appearance. Ledgers that stick above the ground are acceptable; however, I usually disfavor ledgers with balance rock pitch on the sides of the ledger, because the rustic look is usually used without regard for balance and perspective.
Weaknesses:
 The weakness of this memorial is the lack of a porcelain photograph and memorialization to remind us of the person who once lived, and also, Ms. McIntosh’s grave does not inform us of the details of her life. There is room on the ledger (or slab) that could still be used to memorialize this young woman’s life.
The double vases provide balance to the monument, but they are empty, and that is one of the reasons I am reluctant to encourage the purchase of vases. I would have preferred that the vases not be used.
The epitaphs are religious, and that is certainly acceptable to convey the family’s sentiments; however, they would be stronger if they communicated something personal about the life of Ms. McIntosh. Also, the particular religious epitaph that was used is a cliché.
I like this memorial very much, though a porcelain photograph and memorialization could move this memorial much higher in my esteem if those modifications were made.
Overall, this is a fine example for creativity that should be considered by anyone desiring to use coping, memorial, and ledgers in a harmonious manner.
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