Do you have an aging pet, like I do, and have you started thinking about what may lie ahead as the seasons of life extend into the final season? I know I have.
I think it is terrific when our city, county, state and federal officials honor the folks who keep us all safe. The City of Elberton has a front lawn memorial to honor the police and fire fighters who spend their time protecting us. The memorial that has been erected stands proudly and captures the essence of pride that many of us feel towards our local protectors.
What makes for a well-planned family burial plot? Certainly, near the top of my list, memorialization comes to mind, but what about the aesthetics of the cemetery?
Four new solar-lighted products are now in our expansive list of alternatives for clients. We have tested the solar products and found them to be high-quality products, and therefore, firmly stand behind each of these products..
Angels are special symbols. Whether we think of seraphs, guardian angels, or cherubs, there is something magical about the symbolism of an angel that I enjoy. We have enjoyed the solar-lighted cross for less than a year, and now there is a solar lighted angel that we are thrilled about. 'Wow' is the word that comes to mind when I view the angel! Wow! Yes, it is that beautiful!
This is one of my favorite new products! It has wow! Perhaps because of my pride in our military service men and women, or my own patriotism, I have a special feeling inside when I view our new Flag Memorial Lite.
Flowers die quickly after a funeral, and it takes time to design a high quality memorial, a task that is often not the top priority as a family deals with grief over the loss of a loved one.
I need your advice. Should I recommend the purchase of a vase to my clients, as part of the memorialization process, or should I discourage this expenditure?
Question: We liked your article on the book shape for memorials. We are retired, and we live on a limited budget. What else can you recommend in this same theme?
Answer: Thanks for writing. I have an excellent idea with the book on top of the tablet. For the small monument, the book on top of the die (tablet) is one of my favorites.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for horizontal monuments. On page 21 of this classic treatise is an illustrated memorial for the Montgomery Family.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for soldier monuments. On page 290 of this classic treatise is an illustrated memorial for the Barnett Family.
Ask any knowledgeable monument builder who the McNeel Company was, and they can tell you. McNeel's book, The Greatest Name In Stonecraft," displays the finest collection of memorial designs ever produced in the United States.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for horizontal monuments. On page 21 is an illustrated memorial for Edward and Mary Washington.
This attractive memorial has sandblast sunk lettering. Unfortunately, this memorial does not have an epitaph or memorialization that would inform us of the details of the life for this exhibit.
The monument shown with this article was publicized in McNeel's memorable, "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft." McNeel's has a section for double monuments of which the Cable Memorial represented on page 135 of this timeless treatise is an illustrated memorial.
Here's another vertical monument design from page 104 of McNeel's classic, The Greatest Name in Stonecraft. I prefer vertical monuments over horizontal monuments for their distinctive appearance, their ease of location in the cemetery, and the blackboard-like space on the rear that allows great versatility for memorializing and presenting the "living legacy" SM of the deceased.
For neophyte monument builders, there is an untapped avenue to reach customers, and that is through the local mall. Yes, I know this is nontraditional, and the talk of death makes some folks queasy, not to mention that some mall merchants will not want you located in a kiosk outside their store, but that is okay too.
Who is your favorite President someone might ask? Many of us would probably say, "Abraham Lincoln," as he served our great country during a time of formidable crisis. He managed the Civil War successfully to hold the union together and commenced the process by which the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution might be passed, to enable our country to move forward and to fulfill the promises that all persons would be treated equal. While that promise has not yet been fulfilled, Lincoln is forever memorialized for his deeds and actions. Historians have written more books about Abraham Lincoln than any other individual in American history.
Robert, the oldest son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, planned to be buried with his parents in the Oakridge Cemetery in Springville, Illinois. Of all of Abraham and Mary's four children, he was the only child to reach adulthood.
One of the things I like about living in the South are the great Southern monuments to the Civil War. I know these monuments trouble some of our citizens, particularly those whose ancestors suffered from slavery or discrimination. I empathize and respect those feelings; however, that is not the focus of this article today.
The sunset goes down along the horizon during moments that are often serene, while jet fighter pilots may exhibit the prowess of their fighter jets by taking off and then going straight up into the sky in a vertical manner that is thrilling to the viewer. Horizontal monuments are wider than they are tall, and vertical monuments are taller than they are wide.
Question: I saw a tall pointed statue in the cemetery, and I like the shape of it. It looks so powerful and commanding in the cemetery. What is it called? Are those made any more?
Answer: You are speaking of the obelisk. My article displays a picture of an obelisk that I photographed in Savannah last year at the beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery. If you have never visited this beautiful cemetery, then you should, because it is a fabulous experience.
Question: I hired a monument company to install a monument for me and the company placed an unsightly tag on the monument. I didn't give permission to have an unsightly monument builder's mark on my monument. The entire look of the monument has been diminished by the appearance of the dealer's label.
Answer: The Memorial Doctor understands your pain. Most memorialists place their tags on their works as a sense of pride, and marketing too. You cannot blame the monument builders for seeking to identify their work in the cemetery.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for benches. This article speaks of the Bruchner Bench Design. On page 213 of this classic treatise, there is an illustrated bench that I like for reasons I will share with you.
There is a wide variety of double monuments, so I thought it appropriate to discuss this topic.
My monument selection today involves a double monument with a screen. McNeel's "The Greatest Name in Stonecraft" presents a watercolor of the Mansfield Memorial on page 36.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for horizontal monuments. On page 130 of this classic treatise is an illustrated memorial for the Morber Family. This stone appears to be marble, but granite would work just as well. As with all designs, you are not limited to the color of stone, and there is a wide range of choices.
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.
I am always thinking about new and exciting ways to use rock and stone products. One technique we offer is the use of hand laid rock and stone to create portraits and art images. Stone imagery can be used in a variety of artistic ways from showers and wall hangings to embedding in memorial products.
When I think of the word "harmony," I am flooded with thoughts on how often a lack of harmony exists in memorialization. Simply stated, unfortunately, most monuments are flat, dull, unimaginative, lackluster forms of memorialization.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for horizontal monuments. On page 57 of this classic treatise, there is an illustrated memorial for the Chandler family.
McNeel's Cradle for the Lynch family is shown on page 281 of the classic McNeel's The Greatest Name in Stonecraft. Cradles are not seen very often in my experience in cemetery visitation. However, they can be found in old cemeteries, such as the Biltmore Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for wing monuments. Wings are extensions outward from the main tablet of a monument. On page 196 of this classic treatise is an illustrated memorial for the Carlton Family. I think of the wing-shaped memorial as a centerpiece memorial that serves as a focal point for a family memorial.
McNeel's "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft" has a section for horizontal monuments. On page 130 of this classic treatise, there is an illustrated memorial for the Holliday Family.
On April 26, 1874, a centerpiece obelisk, 65 feet tall, was dedicated by the Ladies Memorial Association of Atlanta in Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, located on Oakland Avenue.
McNeel's book, "The Greatest Name in Stonecraft," has several watercolor prints of screens. I will focus on the Edwin Warner Screen memorial on page 197.
Cemetery plot boundaries are often marked with marble or granite borders and corner posts as two decorative features that can significantly upgrade a burial site.
'Coping' is the term memorialists use within the profession to describe the low marble or granite border commonly seen, with or without posts, around cemetery plots. Posts may be used either with coping or alone.
The monument shown with this article was publicized in McNeel's memorable, "The Greatest Name In Stonecraft." McNeel's has a section for double monuments, in which the Kane Memorial is represented on page 36 as a timeless example.
Perhaps you have visited the Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, located on Oakland Avenue? The cemetery was founded in 1850 and it overflows with beautiful oaks and magnolia trees.
The Cross as a memorial feature is a beautiful testament to a person or family's religious faith. There are numerous designs, from the common carving to an etching or a full-scale representation of Christ on the Cross.
A friend of mine just lost his father. I took a basket of food to the family after the passing, but I feel that I should do more. What do you recommend?
Answer:
I know the discomfort that you yourself feel, as you have the mixed emotions of wanting to aid your friend but also are not sure of what to do as the family wrestles with grief. It is a challenging time that may not have an easy answer. Here is some of my advice:
Question: I was in a cemetery recently, and I saw a beautiful monument that was not tall but it had substantial depth that presented an imposing presence in the cemetery. Other graves surrounded the memorial and all were surrounded by a small fence-like border made of granite.
Answer: Great question! If the monument was not tall, then that probably rules out the obelisk and the vertical monument too. You describe the memorial as imposing, so that would rule out most of the monuments that you see in the cemetery, as most are either 6 or 8 inches thick. You must be speaking of the sarcophagus. Yes, that is a commanding magnificent memorial.
I suppose it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Concave versus convex is a concept that confuses a lot of folks, so I thought I would include a short article with a picture to explain the difference.
Earlier this year, I attended the funeral for a man I had known since boyhood who I will call "Tim." Nearly four months later, I visited Tim's grave. As I approached, I saw Tim's widow sitting in a metal rocker that had been placed beside the grave.
What are our expectations for the monument industry for organized community service that promotes the professionalism and compassion of our trade? This is a question for which I do not have an easy answer; however, I have a couple of suggestions.
