Celebrations! Don’t we just look for an
opportunity to celebrate? Between Halloween and New Year’s Day, we have more
celebrations than at any other time of the year.
One of my favorite patriotic-themed
memorials honors Walter L. Hendrix (b. Dec. 20, 1924, d. Feb. 15, 2000), a descendant of
Cherokee heritage according to his memorial placed in the Elmhurst Cemetery located in
Elberton, Georgia.
In November 1992, I was part of a Sister City
delegation representing the City of Torrance, California that visited our Sister City,
Kashiwa, located in the Chiba Prefecture, not far from Tokyo, Japan.
A while back, I wrote an article on Elvis
Presley’s grave and the strengths and weaknesses in the memorial’s design. At
that time, I referenced the consolidation of his mother’s cross and the statue of
Jesus, both made from marble, which was given to Elvis one Christmas by his friends.
Together, the two look great. I took the picture of the two shown with this article during
my tour of Graceland on January 31, 2005.
The “Babyland” Monument with this
article is one of my favorite for it shows the versatility of talented monument builders.
Constructed by one of our producers, this memorial uses five colors of granite to create a
very pleasing and comforting memorial for families grieving the loss of a child.
By now, my readers have come to learn that I
appreciate a wide variety of old and new memorial designs. Today, I am highlighting a
beautiful design, with a shape that is truly unique, created by a fabulous designer.
What is my favorite color of granite? I
suppose it would be a cop out to say “Shanxi Black,” the premium black granite
from China, since that is what I used to produce my own memorial, using an all polished
finish. No, while that is a wonderful color that is not my favorite color.
I like angels, how about you? No, I’m not
writing in the sense of Biblical angels, but as angels are used in memorialization, which
is certainly influenced by Biblical literature.
From the Memorial Doctor’s personal
experience, the loss of a loved one is very painful. My father, Rufus Burton Fletcher Sr.
passed away in his home outside of Lake City, Florida, on October 10, 1998. I still think
about Dad, and both the good and not so good times we shared together. Perhaps you too
have lost a loved one.
Do you know your family history? Are you
certain? Most of us go about our lives, preoccupied by the ups and downs of living,
without paying much attention to the fact that our existence today is influenced by a
genetic, environmental, and cultural makeup going back thousands of years.
What makes a good, no, a great family reunion?
I have not attended that many family reunions, though I have had plenty of opportunities;
however, I invite my readers to share their experiences of what makes a great family
reunion.
While viewing the memorial for Harold B. Durham, Jr. (b. Oct. 12, 1942, d.
Oct. 17, 1967) in the Oakridge Cemetery in Tifton, Georgia, I was immediately struck by
the use of Medal of Honor ribbon in lithochrome on the Georgia gray granite.
There is a common belief within the memorial
industry that memorials are for the living who survive the death of a loved one.
Certainly, the memorial provides a permanent place for family to connect both emotionally
or spiritually with their loss of a loved one. So, is the memorial for the living, or is
it for the dead, or is it for both? I suggest that it should be for both.
Early in 2005, I was in Memphis, Tennessee for
a continuing education program offered by the Monument Builders of North America, a
national organization to which I belong. During my convention, I visited Graceland, the
Memphis home of the late Elvis Aaron Presley (b. Jan. 8, 1935, d. August 16, 1977) who
lived a mere 42 years 7 months 8 days.
While touring South Georgia churches and
cemeteries in the area of Moultrie, something unique caught my eye. So I pulled my car off
the highway into the Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church, turned off the ignition,
walked to the cemetery, and looked with amazement at an elephant sized and shaped
memorial.
Traveling through Gainesville, Florida
recently, I observed a military memorial beside the highway. As is my nature, I stopped at
the memorial to photograph and to pay my respects to veterans.
On January 1, 2005, I had the ambivalent and touching
experience of visiting the historic Oaklawn Cemetery in Lake City, Florida. As a
memorialist, I have a professional interest in the preservation of cemeteries. I visit
cemeteries often, frequently photographing monuments that catch my eye.
Lenial Carter contacted us regarding a bronze
memorial that he had placed in a local cemetery. He was interested in updating the look of
his wife Ann’s memorial with a more personalized look, offered by the addition of our
finest porcelain photographs. Mr. Carter’s personal concerns also lie in the fact
that he, too, will someday rest there.
Six Feet Under has come and gone. The HBO
program was a hit among so many of us who looked forward each week to a new episode,
mainly because the show was so real. It illustrated the transitions of life and the
funeral industry in a way that many folks had not thought of before.
Alexis Batastini (b. May 30, 1990, d. Dec. 10,
2004) was a beautiful young woman, full of joy as a young Hahira Middle School student who
excelled among her classmates, and who passed away at the age of fourteen.
“It has been nice doing business with
you. You lived up to our expectations,” our client Joyce Frush graciously
communicated to us. We assisted Joyce and Charles Frush’s daughter Cheri Frush Ray by
designing a memorial plaque for Cheri’s husband Thomas W. Ray.
Ray Dowdy is a retired Master Sergeant in the
U.S. Air Force. As part of our professional duties, we listened to Mr. Dowdy, and we
assisted him to develop a vision of a memorial that would express his life story.
When I first started in the monument industry,
before I became the Memorial Doctor, we thought of ourselves as a tombstone company. The
looks we received from people when we told them what we do made us cringe. No one likes to
think about death and dying, and I understand the discomfort.
Question: Our family has a small monument with
very little room for memorialization. I wish we could afford a large memorial, but
our budget will not allow us to make that investment.
In your pursuit to save a dollar by publishing
a short family obituary, you may in turn deny future generations of family, friends and
genealogists information on a life well-lived
Recently, I had a discussion with Pradeep
Satyaprakash, a wholesale granite importer with whom we work, regarding the different
colors of granite, and the significance for the monument industry
Investigating the use of sealers on granite, I
contacted a supplier to the monument industry, who referred us to Tom Robinson, Executive
Vice President of the Elberton Granite Association (EGA).
I like bronze! I also like the beauty of
granite! Unfortunately, for too many folks, there is a lack of imagination as to how the
two can be used together.
“I’m going to have my ashes thrown
into the ocean,” my cousin said
My stomach began to twist, and I said,
“Don’t you want a monument where you will be remembered?” Something just
does not seem right to spread ashes without a permanent location for memorialization.
Question: I see a lot of polished finishes
with the manufacture of new monuments that was not present in older monument styles. What
are the types of monument finishes?
The following glossary of terms will be
helpful to anyone planning the construction of a memorial, as well as for memorialists,
genealogists, and historians who may desire to interpret symbols used in cemeteries. The
original source is a famous resource to monument builders, McNeel, The Greatest Name in
Stonecraft.
Is it better to buy a monument from a mortuary
or a monument company? The answer depends on one thing: Do you want an ordinary memorial
or an extraordinary one? For the latter, only a monument company will do.
Special porcelain photos are commonly placed on monuments
these daysBe advised that these photos come in a wide range of quality based on the
manufacturer.
Most everyone would choose to personalize a
monument to some degree. In practice, though, many monuments tell us very little beyond a
name, date of birth, marriage, and death.
If we’re being honest, monuments
aren’t necessarily permanentThey require some maintenance and cleaning to keep the
pristine appearance of the original design.
Have you ever wondered about the symbolism of
monuments in the local cemetery? If so, did you ever think about why a particular symbol
was used, or how it applied to the individual who was memorialized?
