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 I like the Peavy Memorial that honors Magnus DeLacey Peavy, Jr. (b. July 14, 1921) and Virginia Skipper Peavy (b. May 7, 1922, d. Jan. 13, 1988), not so much because I think it is perfect; it is not. But because the family attempted to use a variety of styles that were other than typical.
Monument Characteristics
This memorial has a tablet with a serpentine top, with round, instead of straight, corners. It is P5, a monument industry term meaning it is polished on the front, back, top, and both ends.
The base has a polished flat top with a polished margin, with the portion below the margin closest to the ground rustic or balance rock pitch.
Rounds Versus Pencil Rounds
The top edges of the tablet are rounded with a gradual round. This is not my favorite style, but I appreciate the variance from the norm. I would have preferred pencil rounds, as they offer a tight round edge that make the transition from the top to the sides in the approximate space of a pencil width.
 Concave Sides, Scotia & Nosing
The sides of the monument are concave, meaning they have a slope outward similar to the inside of a circle.
At the bottom of the sides where the tablet approaches the base, there is a portion that extends outward from the lines of the sides. This is called a scotia. The portion that drops down vertically from the scotia is called nosing; this is the additional stone beyond main surface line.
Face Of The Memorial
The monument has a Masonic emblem for Mr. Peavy and an Eastern Star emblem for Mrs. Peavy. The crossed rings with the date of marriage are typical accessories on memorials.
Ledgers:
The two ledgers match the tablet and base in terms of color of granite, and that is good. The sides of the ledgers are rustic or balance rock pitch. I would prefer a polished margin, or all polish style, or sawn or steeled sides over balance rock pitch. Balance rock pitch sides are overused. Monument builders like balance rock pitch, because it is easier to install with less risk of damage during installation.
 Weaknesses
The memorial is constructed from an attractive brown granite; however, it does not fit well with the gray granite coping and chips that surround the family plot.
Weaknesses in Design or Defects in Installation?
The serious weakness in this memorial is a major one so far as I am concerned, in that the ledgers are not abutted tight with the base. The space between the ledgers and the base is a major weakness in this design. The intrusion of granite chips is disconcerting and unattractive.
I suspect this defect was because the base and the ledgers were not jointed or designed to fit tight against each other. This was probably caused by the combination of balance rock pitch on the bottom of the base and on the top side of the ledger. Both the tablet and the ledger should have been sawn where they would meet to abut with a tight fit.
This was probably a design flaw that was then compounded by an installation flaw which, with the right tools, could have been modified by the installer on the scene. In the industry, we call this needed modification a rabbet. A rabbet is a woodworking term where a groove is cut from one piece of wood, and a tongue in another piece, and the two pieces are joined. It is any cut, groove or recess made on the edge or surface of the stone where the two pieces of stone would fit together. When the base and the ledger are shaped to fit together precisely, they result in a tight linkage.
Wrong Color of Bonding Putty
The bonding putty between the tablet and the base is white, but should have been a brown color to match the color of the granite stone.
The ledger on the right is higher than the ledger on the left, and the ledger on the left is not in line with the left side of the memorial. These are defects in the installation process that the installer should have corrected.
Summary:
I like this memorial, in that the family sought to vary from the typical monument style. The mistakes in installation could have been avoided. Though there are weaknesses in the final design, I applaud the effort, as this monument shows a variety of issues for consideration in monument building and installation.
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