Gravestones are a marker, a monument, to celebrate the lives of loved ones. Funeral arrangements can be daunting and stressful, but with the assistance of Bartholomew Funeral Home, family members can pick out the perfect gravestone to honor those who have passed. Licensed Funeral Director Chuck Harris shared the process of purchasing gravestones to help others better understand the task.
One of the first steps to picking out a gravestone is determining which cemetery in which the deceased will be laid to rest. Many cemeteries have different restrictions on the height and width of the gravestone, by knowing these restrictions, it helps to narrow the search for a gravestone.
“When people come in, typically some of the things that we sit down and discuss with them is because there's such a wide range of items they can choose from, is that we have to first decide what cemetery they want and what they will allow there,” Harris said.
The next step in purchasing a gravestone is determining what look the buyer is going for as gravestones are offered in a variety of shapes and sizes.
“We have to decide if they want an upright monument, a slant stone, a beveled or a flush in the ground stone. All of those kind of effect the cost of the stone as well,” Harris said.
Customized gravestone shapes are also offered, allowing gravestones to have a personal touch.
“For example, we had a lady come in here who had a child who died, a young girl, and the girl always had a favorite Christmas ornament. So her mom brought that Christmas ornament in and we shaped the granite exactly like the Christmas ornament. It was a little girl sitting on a cloud,” Harris said.
The color and polish of the granite is another choice buyers have to make. The number of sides polished helps to determine the cost of the stone. While the color does not necessarily impact the price, where the granite comes from does.
“Some of the granites that come from all over the world like India, China, and England, they have different colors that are a little bit more unique. For example, there’s a lesser expensive gray that comes out of Georgia, but there's also a gray that comes out of China is less expensive,” Harris said.
A variety of customizations are also offered for the gravestones. Blackhead stones offer engravings, ceramic photos and laser engraved pieces of metal that can be embedded into the stone.
“Most of the times when you look at a headstone in a cemetery, they only have sandblasting on them, but you can have laser etching on the blackhead stones, and you can personalize them a lot more with scenes of farms, a football field, somebody’s house, or a picture of the person,” Harris said.
For veterans, Veterans Affairs offers free gravestone markers. The markers come with the option of several different designs and sizes. Harris recommends the granite markers due to granite being able to hold much longer.
“There are also bronze markers that you tend to see on the back of gravestones,” Harris said.
Harris’ biggest piece of advice for buying gravestones is to purchase them ahead of time.
“It reduces the stress on the family when they’re mourning. They already got a lot on their mind at that point in time. It reduces the choices they have to make in the heat of the moment, and you can take your time doing exactly what you want,” Harris said.
To learn more about Bartholomew Funeral Home and the services it offers, visit its website at https://www.bartholomewnewhard.com/.