Self-Expression to the Grave: Country Sees Rise in Unique and Unusual Memorials

April 23, 2001

COLD SPRING, Minn. -- Weighing nearly a ton, the granite Monarch butterfly isn't your conventional memorial. Set diagonally on a block inscribed with only the first name of the person, the occupant must have had more than a passing interest in butterflies.

A refrigerator-sized football testifies to a true fan of the game. And an oblong pentagonal memorial, set on top of a desk-sized base, prominently displays the person's favorite pastime and possession, a Harley-Davidson.

As millions pay their respects this Memorial Day, they will notice the increasing numbers of unique and unusual memorials that underscore the widening trend of Americans seeking to leave a more declarative stamp on their lives than names and dates carved on stone.

Guitars, pianos, cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, bicycles, cats, dogs, footballs and wildlife and hunting scenes are among distinctive graphics carved and etched on memorials. The replicas spotlight the interests and hobbies of people of all generations, celebrating, rather than mourning, the memory of a person's life and lifestyle.

"A memorial depicting a person's interests is a powerful medium," says Mel Lommel, General Manager of Royal Melrose Granites, a division of Cold Spring Granite, one of the world's largest quarriers and memorialization firms, based in Cold Spring, Minn. "The images comfort people, reminding them of positive experiences and impressions. They also display a unique statement on behalf of a person."

Duplicating visuals sought by families on stone requires intensive communication. Designers must comply with minute details and demands. Cold Spring's custom memorials are intricate carvings and sculptures fashioned with high-tech sandblasting and diamond-tipped and laser tools.

One memorial the size of two pool tables stacked lengthwise serves as a mother's pictorial ode to her three children tragically lost in an accident. It is a canvas of stone carved with the favorite playthings of her children: soccer ball, baseball glove and bat, tricycle, teddy bear and a car, all surrounding a farewell poem, topped with musical notes, written by the mother.

Then there is the tree of life memorial, a massive granite face outlined as a tree. It teems with etchings and scenes depicting the person's likes and identity: a deer walking across a creek with fish jumping out, a bow-hunter in the bushes, pheasants flying, a farm house in the background and a pickup truck and motorcycle. It is the picture of a life that was lived to the hilt - reflected all in a memorial.

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For more information or to arrange an interview with Mel Lommel, contact Linda Mathiasen at 320-685-5068 or LMathiasen@coldspringgranite.com.

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