Monuments

If you are choosing a headstone or memorial monument for you or your loved one, you will find all you need to know in the helpful articles below.
Recent Monuments Articles

Tomb Stones and Relocating Ashes

June 23rd, 2014

FSNFH Ask the Expert Question:

Hi I recently came from my late husband grave and got pretty upset because 1: I couldn’t find it! : 2 when I left the gravesite family took over! 3:the burial site has no name or nothing to say his name just a flower! How much is a tombstone?

Funeral Expert Reply:

Lydia,
Headstones come in a variety of price ranges depending on where you live and where the cemetery is located. If you can send me the name of the cemetery and the city in which it is located, I can help you find a local monument company who can provide you with a price list and options.

Preserve Your Loved Ones Memory with Gies Bros. G. Sperry & Sons

March 6th, 2014

The death of a loved one is difficult, and making decisions about important services while dealing with grief is never easy. That’s why it’s imperative to work with a company you can trust, one that has been around for a long time, has a stellar reputation and cares about their customers needs, not just their own bottom line. Monument company Gies Bros. G. Sperry & Sons of Dover, NJ, embodies these criteria.

Longevity and Reliability

Gies Bros. has been in business for well over a century, and they are normally the first name people think of when they think of monument services in the Dover, NJ area. The company’s long-lived success isn’t born from the most advertising dollars spent, but rather from a vested interest in you, the customer. The men and women at Gies Bros. care about providing the best monument for your needs, and their commitment to excellence shows in their work.

Local, family-owned businesses don’t thrive for over a hundred years without a strong focus on the customer and a desire to meet the customer’s needs. And when it comes to monuments, the customer’s desire is all that matters.

Workmanship that Matters

A monument is a lasting part of your loved one’s legacy and therefore must be perfect. They have dedicated craftsmen who work tirelessly to bring you the monument you want, so you can show the respect your loved one deserves. Their products include:

  • Bronze Monuments
  • Cemetery Lettering
  • Granite Monuments

And the services they offer are:

  • Computer Generated Proofs
  • Engraving
  • Installation
  • Maintenance
  • Outdoor Displays
  • Sales

Your loved one’s monument will always be there for the world to see, shouldn’t it be crafted by the best available? Contact Gries Bros. G. Sperry & Sons and speak to our helpful staff. They understand how hard it can be to choose the right monument and they’re ready to help every step of the way.

Schmidt Memorials – For Generations of Remembrance

November 11th, 2013

A monument for a loved one should stand the test of time and act as a remembrance of that person’s well-lived life. Schmidt Memorials of Conroe, Texas is a company with over 40 years of experience creating beautiful markers that inspire and celebrate life.

Beautifully Personalized Full LedgerQuality Monuments Built With Precision

With craftsmanship that can only be achieved through years of experience, Schmidt Memorials uses the best materials available to create each of their monuments. This team of professionals works with skill and precision that shows in every handcrafted piece.

Personalized Markers

Part of the lasting effect of a great memorial is the level of personalization that is capable with talented stone and metal workers. From stone engraving and laser etching to stunning bronze markers, a highly original tribute can be created with fitting details and style. These are memorials that go beyond functional and speak to the heart.

When you come to the Schmidt staff with your ideas, they will be able to talk you through your options and explain techniques that will lend itself to different designs. The finished work will accomplish what you agreed upon and exceed your expectations.

Unique Stone BenchMemorialized With Excellence

Trust a company that will help you through the selection and ordering process step by step. Whether you are ordering for a loved one or pre-planning, the experienced employees will work with you one on one to get a clear picture of what you want to express.

However, if you find yourself needing guidance, you will appreciate a knowledgeable staff that can make appropriate suggestions too. This type of excellence customer service has helped build a business with a reputation for quality work and focus on the customer’s needs.

They also offer a relaxed, no pressure atmosphere that allows each client the freedom to make these important decisions at their own comfortable pace. After all, they understand it is a process of love to create a memorial that will last many lifetimes. Schmidt Memorials is dedicated to providing the right commemorative element for you.

Building A Tribute With Tucson Marble & Granite

August 15th, 2013

Selecting a monument is a decision that lasts a lifetime and beyond.

Whether you are honoring a loved one or are pre-planning, Tucson Marble and Granite can help you through the process of visualizing and building this important marker piece by piece. They can create a stunning tribute that stand the test of time. Their craftsmen work with precision and care that have been the trademark of this trusted family-owned company since 1917. While this business is located in Tucson, Arizona, they proudly ship anywhere in the world and service all cemeteries.

Beautiful Monuments Crafted From Quality Materials

Using only the best hard stone and proven carving techniques for their work, this monument company knows that you are commemorating an important life lived.

Monuments, urns and plaques are available in many sizes and designs and are guaranteed to remain unchanged for generations to come. When quality is crucial, turn to a company that specializes in hand-crafted markers made with the most enduring materials of nature.

Personalized Headstones

You can choose from traditional text and symbolic graphics for a stately simple look on a bronze plaque or stone. Celebrate memories and create a lasting focal point with a photo etching. With this technique almost any photo can be engraved on a variety of stone to preserve a beautifully realistic portrait.

Understanding The Importance of Remembrance

In a somber time full of important questions, you can work directly with an understanding and compassionate team member to find the right answers. All the skilled employees at Tucson Marble and Granite understands the need for thorough, detailed workmanship and how to create a lasting image for your loved one.

Monuments for a graveside are more than words on a stone. These markers are objects that symbolize the lasting effect a person can have on those around them. This is quite possibly the most permanent physical presence we, as morals, can maintain. Tucson Marble and Granite offer 75 years of experience and artistry in dedicating unique and exquisite monuments to commemorate the dearly departed.

Preserving a Memory with PCS Laser and Memorial

March 27th, 2013

PCS Laser and Memorial helps you through this very difficult time with ease and compassion. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is a very difficult process and their goal is to make this transition a time of remembrance. By working with you to create the monument you and your family deserves is what they strive for to create a long-lasting memory.

Istone MemorialIn their 25 years of business, many of their services have grown and changed, including their laser etching. Both remarkably detailed and long-lasting, laser etching on granite is an ideal way to preserve the memory of a loved one. Along with their laser etched monuments, you can even bring in personal photos of your loved one to create a custom image. Both are such wonderful ways to commemorate your beloved.

Another way their services have grown is with the addition of their isotone memorials. This new innovation memorial links cemetery memorials to a website that can be shared with loved ones around the world. QR codes on memorials act as a link from a smart phone to an online memorial. This is a great way to personalize a headstone eternally leaving a legacy behind.

Let a Memory Live On

First off, what is a QR code? Similar to a barcode, yet it contains so much more information. A QR code can be added to any memorial allowing smartphone enabled phones to scan it and then be taken to your loved one’s history, such as an obituary, photos, comments left by family and friends and even a video. Once someone scans the QR code, they will be connected to a personalized website which will then share your family’s history for years to come. Their legacy will live on and it becomes more than just a headstone. Visitors will truly get a feel of who they were as a person. Keep your family’s history alive with an “istone”.

PCS Laser and Memorial  offers beautiful headstones and even some that make for a  truly interactive experience. Giving anyone who visits more of a connection to your loved one as well as helping preserve your family’s history for generations to come.

Why Clean Your Monuments?

March 12th, 2013

Although most monuments are created with durable stone or metal, they should still receive proper care to pay respect to loved ones for many years to come. What goes into cleaning monuments? Why should you clean them? Recently, FSN Funeral Homes was able to interview Wrex Lindsay from Renew Monument Services to better understand the benefits of renewing monuments.

FSN Funeral Homes: Why should people clean monuments?

Before & AfterWrex Lindsay: There are a several reasons why people should clean their monuments. Over time, hard water, bird droppings, mold, dirt and acid rain can damage a monument. Those elements will cause the stone to weaken and begin to chip or stain. Secondly, the monument represents a loved one. By cleaning the monument, family and friends feel that their loved one is being taken care of.

FSN Funeral Homes:  So, there are many benefits on having headstones cleaned?

Wrex Lindsay: Yes. Not only does it make the monument look better, but it protects the stone from cracking, chipping or staining.

FSN Funeral Homes:  Exactly when will they know when it is time to clean their monument? Are there any signs to look for?

Wrex Lindsay – When the monument starts looking dirty and is losing its shine and appeal, then it is time to start the cleaning process. Our company offers a biannual and annual service plan to ensure monuments are protected and are kept looking their best.

FSN Funeral Homes – Is it really necessary to clean a monument that often?

Wrex Lindsay – When a monument has not been regularly cleaned, it is extremely difficult to remove dirt, mold, etc from the surface without the right cleaning techniques. We do recommend every 6 months to keep the stone looking great, however, Renew Monuments services also offers an annual plan. It is a matter of which plan works best for your monument.

Renew Monument Services is a professional headstone service company dedicated to the preservation and care of monuments, memorials, bronze markers, plaques, family cemeteries, and gravesites in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their main priority is headstone cleaning. However, they also re-level headstones, repaint headstones, and can re-seal headstones (basically re-glue the pieces of the monument together).

What is a Columbarium?

January 15th, 2013

A columbarium is a specially designed room or building with niches for cinerary urns (cremation urns) to be stored, much like a mausoleum. There is a trend in the monument industry toward using the word mausoleum for both bodies and ashes (cremains), instead of the older term ‘columbarium’.

Types of columberia

Columbaria Example from WikipediaModern columbarium designs are simple and tasteful. Some columbaria disappear into their surroundings, such as a garden wall, while in others have highly customizable niches. They are typically constructed similar to mausoleums and out of the same materials. You will find both indoor and outdoor columbaria at both churches and cemeteries. Indoor columbaria may offer climate controlled niches.

Columbarium niches vary in size, and some allow for two urns to be placed together. Sections of columbaria may be designated for entire families. Depending on the cremains vessel selected, there may be limited space for small memorabilia.

Where are columbaria located?

Columbaria are usually located in a cemetery, but can also be built into churches or are located on church grounds.  A columbarium can take various forms, but in a church building they are usually located in an interior wall. They can also be constructed in the churchyard, garden or a cemetery in various shapes and sizes. In some cases, one area or wing inside of a mausoleum is designated for cremains. Some are permanently sealed niches, where as others the face front panel is unlocked. The name of the deceased is usually inscribed into this panel.

Continue reading “What is a Columbarium?” »

Why Personalize a Monument?

September 4th, 2012

For many, creating a lasting monument for their loved one is the best way to keep those memories alive. But, how can you best display your loved one’s personality on these lasting memorials. Fortunately there are a variety of ways in which a memorial can be personalized. Recently, FSN Funeral Homes had the chance to discuss personalized memorials options with Chris Freybler from Custom Engraving.

Personalized Grave MarkerFSN Funeral Homes: What does your company do to personalize memorials?

Chris Freybler: Our company FromPhotosToForever.com takes snapshots or professional photos and digitizes them to be engraved into marble or granite.

FSN Funeral Homes: What type of memorials can be personalized?

Chris Freybler: We personalize memorials that can be utilized in a cemetery, as well as memorials that can be used in somebody’s home, flower garden, dedication to a flagpole or even a memorial tree. The headstone pieces are lifestory memorials. Our customers can take take a whole series of pictures throughout their loved ones entire life and create a beautiful collage.

FSN Funeral Homes: How involved are you with your customers when personalizing a monument?

Chris Freybler: We like to talk with them first to get a sense of their loved one and ask them to send photos they would like to be placed on the monument. From there, we discuss what photo is their favorite, which one they would like to use as a focal point and just get an understanding on what their loved one was like. Next, they’ll receive a layout based on what we discussed and they can approve or change the layout if they would like until they are 100% satisfied with the end result. Once we get that approval, we use state of the art lasers to engrave the granite. We work with our customers every step of the way to ensure that their loved one’s personality is captured.

FSN Funeral Homes: Why personalize a monument?

Chris Freybler: Again, they are lifestory memorials. They can actually talk about the person through picture form instead of words, so everyone who sees it can get a sense of the person. Having photos tells more about the person: who they were, what they like to do and what they look like. It’s more personable. It makes a trip to the cemetery more significant. Instead of just staring at a cold stone, it makes it more meaningful for the family and anyone else who visits when they have a picture in front of them. Not only is it important to the family then, but down the road as well, like when they may take grandkids or great grandkids that may not know who the person was, there’s a showcase of pictures for them to get a feel of who their grandparents were as a person. A lot of our customers tell me, “Now when we go the cemetery, we’re looking for a person, not just a name and date. We’re actually looking for grandma or dad.“ You’re actually going to look for your loved one.

Personalizing a monument is truly special for both the family and their loved one. It best displays your loved one’s personality and tells who they were as a person. For more understanding on how FromPhotosToForever.Com does this, see their video below.

Perserving & Caring For Your Loved One’s Headstone or Monument

October 20th, 2011

Although most burial monuments and headstones are made out of durable stone or metal, they still need proper care to keep them looking their best for many years to come. Hard water, dust, mold, fungus and lichens are common causes of headstone grime, but with regular care, they can be easily removed. It is recommended to clean your monument only once every 10 years.

Preparing To Clean Your Stone Headstone or Monument

  • First of all, you must acquire permission from the lot owner or next-of-kin, if that is not you. Talk to the cemetery caretakers to find out about routine cleanings they might already do.
  • Inspect the monument for any flaws, such as cracks, flaking or any sign of deterioration. This may be more present in concrete or limestone monuments. DO NOT clean a wooden headstone.

Traditional HeadstoneCleaning Supplies 

  • Ample supply of natural or distilled water.
  • Soft, white-bristle brush.
  • Toothbrush.
  • DO NOT use natural bristles when cleaning your monument, this can encourage organic growth.
  • DO NOT use wire bristles or any other metal instrument to clean your monument.
  • If your headstone is very dirty, use ONLY non-ionic cleaners.
  • DO NOT use household cleaners, including bar soap, borax, vinegar or bleach.
  • DO NOT use pressure washers.
  • DO NOT use sealants of any kind.
  • DO NOT use shaving cream. (Once a popular cleaner, now shown to be harmful to the materials used.)

Continue reading “Perserving & Caring For Your Loved One’s Headstone or Monument” »

Placing Pebbles on Gravestones: A Jewish Tradition Explained

August 5th, 2011

Example of Jewish Headstones with PebblesIt is unlikely that you will see flower arrangements laid upon headstones in traditional Jewish cemeteries. Instead, you might notice heaps or mounds of pebbles atop of the grave sites. Large and small in no particular pattern or shape. This is an age-old Jewish tradition that takes roots from Biblical stories. It’s hard to tell exactly where the tradition originated, however, it is thought to go back to ancient times.

Evidence in Scripture

  • In the book of Exodus Moses spent 40 years traveling from Egypt to Israel. Instead of burying their dead, they would cover the body with a sheet and then cover with rocks and pebbles to hold the sheet down.
  • In the book of Exodus God manifested the 10 Commandments on a stone tablet in the presence of Moses.
  • In the book of Exodus Moses is told by God to strike the rock at Horeb to bring forth water from the rock; this was done in front of the elders of Israel in God’s name.
  • In the book of Genesis Abraham was told to build an altar (a mound of rocks) to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as a test from God.

Adorning gravestones with pebbles

In Judaism it is customary for Stones of Remembrance to be placed on gravestones by family and friends visiting the departed.

Continue reading “Placing Pebbles on Gravestones: A Jewish Tradition Explained” »