The Importance of Memorials: Headstones

We are forever grateful for the sacrifices made by current and former active duty service personnel. And, on the heels of Memorial Day, we wanted to devote this week’s blog post to another type of memorial – the one you will pre-plan for yourself or arrange for someone you love after they have died. The term “memorialization” generally refers to the process of preserving memories of people or events. It can be a form of address or petition, or a ceremony of remembrance or commemoration. In this case, we mean it in terms of monuments, headstones and grave markers.

Jim Morrison, of The Doors, is credited with coining the phrase:

“No one here gets out alive.”

Sad but true. Unfortunately, bodies die. Believe us. We see it every day. When your body gives up the ghost, how would you like to be remembered? Author Charles Franklin expounded on Morrison’s philosophy in his self-help book, Create the Life You Need!

He wrote: “No one gets out of this life alive. So leave a footprint of your choice. You are writing your epitaph. You are writing it right now!”

The Importance of Memorialization

Why should you memorialize someone after they pass? Those of us who deal with death every day (professional caregivers, grief counselors, pastors and priests, medical practitioners and funeral directors) have long understood the significance of marking the life someone has lived. Memorials not only help bring healing and closure but also encourage the living to make their own lives count.

Reasons to Memorialize Someone Who Died

The reasons to celebrate and mourn the life of a loved one are numerous. Here are just five:

1. Acknowledge the reality of death.
2. Give air to the emotions associated with the death.
3. Highlight the fact the relationship with the person who died has shifted from physical presence to memory.
4. Encourage survivors to search for new meaning in life.
5. Obtain the loving support of remaining family and friends

The Hard Facts about Headstones (Bronze, Concrete, Granite, Iron, Limestone, Marble, Sandstone, and Wood, etc.)

Therefore, if you choose to pre-plan your memorial, you will have the option of ordering your own headstone. However, you may be surprised at the number of options available to mark a grave. For example, although hard and sturdy granite is the most commonly used gravestone material, holding up to even extreme environmental conditions, other popular material options abound. Consider bronze (which is made from an alloy of tin, copper, lead and zinc) and stainless steel and sandstone, which is durable and easy to carve. In any case, you will have several decisions to make:

1. Material?

2. Upright or Flat?

3. Size?

4. Font and color?

5. Quote, photograph or other personalization?

6. Inscription?

Monument design types fall into virtually every conceivable price range:

• Pre-carved Monuments ($1,900-$4,500)
• Basic, Upgraded and Premium Flat Markers ($300-$8,000)
• Basic, Popular and Premium Upright Monuments ($700-$30,000)
• Private mausoleums ($15k to $1 million)
• Bronze Military Veteran Grave Markers (to match the VA Marker) $600

About Foothill Funeral & Cremation in Glendora, California

Whether you choose to order a headstone or other grave marker or not, we value the opportunity to celebrate your loved one’s life or help you pre-plan a service for yourself. Feel free to contact us now to pre-plan your own memorial or at your time of need (626) 335-0615. Our relationship with United Methodist Church and Sacred Heart provide great places for mourners to host funerals and memorials. You’ll love the grandiose yet intimate settings in both locations. Also, we specialize in helping with burial arrangements. Foothill Funeral proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Finally, working in the mortuary industry since 1996, our reputation is one of quality, sincerity and trust. Please allow us to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or contact us via email.