A fitting location for a funeral or memorial service is important to establishing the right mood for the celebration intended to honor the life of the deceased as well as to show our respects to the living. Every end-of-life plan should consider the attitudes, personality and lifestyle of the departed and the intended invitees at the celebration. For those such as myself who are not wealthy, except in spirit, we should also consider the costs associated with the venue.
After many years of high-powered, intense, beat-my-head-against-the-wall living, I now live my life in a much more informal and relaxed manner. Consequently, I personally prefer the thought of a memorial service in a private residence, fraternal organization, community building or a park.
I want nothing to do with a funeral home setting after my departure. The funeral director will be in charge of publishing my obituary in accord with my instructions, providing death certificates, et cetera, but the range of services used will be narrow compared to the services offered.
I respect funeral directors and the important services they provide, and I will use their services for removal of my body from my place of death to the crematory; however, I do not want their involvement in the funeral service itself.
A beautiful park environment would be a joyful place for an end of life celebration. I do not have enough friends who would want to attend a large memorial service, and my friends and family would be more comfortable in a relaxed, informal setting. Personally, unless I consider someone to be a friend or close acquaintance, their attendance at my memorial service is not required.
For those who live a more formal lifestyle, a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship would be an ideal place for a public gathering. For the famous, a large amphitheater is an option for those who are society's version of aristrocrats and nobility.
Setting a location for a funeral or memorial service should always take into account the wishes of the decedent, his or her lifestyle, and the comfort of those who will be attending.
Burton Fletcher
www.USAMonuments.com
Burton@USAMonuments.com
Copyright, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Showing posts with label Memorialization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memorialization. Show all posts
Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Project
We created a beautiful bronze memorial for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The accolades have been numerous and the following epitomizes the efforts invested in projects.
"Ya'll did an excellent job...we have been looking at it all day. We had our office Christmas party today and personnel from the district attorneys office and the drug task force for our area were here admiring the plaque.
I never dreamed it would look so good. And the picture looks just like Glen... Thanks for all of your hard work...I know we are a pain to work with...Thanks again."
Actually, the GBI were delightful clients and very enjoyable. It is inspiring to receive the accolades from our clients. Every company should strive for excellence!
In the near future, we will post a photo of this beautiful bronze memorial dedication plaque on our website. Please view www.ValdostaMemorials.com at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/monuments/Copyrighted/CopyrightDesigns.asp.
Burton Fletcher
www.USAMonuments.com
Burton@USAMonuments.com
"Ya'll did an excellent job...we have been looking at it all day. We had our office Christmas party today and personnel from the district attorneys office and the drug task force for our area were here admiring the plaque.
I never dreamed it would look so good. And the picture looks just like Glen... Thanks for all of your hard work...I know we are a pain to work with...Thanks again."
Actually, the GBI were delightful clients and very enjoyable. It is inspiring to receive the accolades from our clients. Every company should strive for excellence!
In the near future, we will post a photo of this beautiful bronze memorial dedication plaque on our website. Please view www.ValdostaMemorials.com at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/monuments/Copyrighted/CopyrightDesigns.asp.
Burton Fletcher
www.USAMonuments.com
Burton@USAMonuments.com
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Cemetery Thefts: Extremely Bad Karma!
I was informed of a cemetery theft of bronze vases and I was reminded of a theft of an item at my father's grave earlier this year.
My father was a huge fan of the Florida Gators! He could recite statistics freely. His idea of fun was to watch videotapes of previous Florida-Florida State games, particularly those games in which the Gators won!
Dad had a sense of humor where he called one of his grandchildren "Gator." He loved his gators!
I thought it was only fitting after he passed on to leave a concrete gator with the University of Florida colors on his grave. Dad would have blushed with happiness were he alive to see the gift.
Unfortunately, someone stole the gift from my father's grave not long after the placement. If a cemetery item isn't tied down or marked, someone will steal it!
Earlier this year, I ordered two stars one for the Marine Corps and one for the Army. I plan to leave the Army star at Dad's grave and the Marine Corps star at my own memorial site. See articles 182 and 183 at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/articles/VMArticles10.asp for photos of my memorial. Plan ahead I say!
Anyway, I had both stars engraved at a trophy shop so they will hopefully not be stolen from the cemetery sites. You can see the stars on my website at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/USMetalCollection.asp. Folks love these stars and they are a great gift for any veteran.
Remember, cemetery thefts bring bad karma upon the thief and St. Peter is not going to be happy with anyone who seeks entry through the Pearly Gates with this mark on their character. Instill respect for the dead and a love for others by talking to your children and relatives about the importance of cemeteries and how the respect we show the dead reflects upon our values in our society. Just do it as you know it is the right thing to do!
Burton Fletcher
Burton@USAMonuments.com
www.USAMonuments.com
WDEF News 12-->
Published on WDEF (http://wdef.com/)
Couple Charged with Cemetery Thefts
By Larry Mack
Created Dec 13 2006 - 12:53pm
Authorities from two counties believe they've solved a rash of thefts from local cemeteries. 39-year-old Billy Joe and 34-year-old Bonnie Evans of Monroe County face theft charges for stealing bronze vases from cemeteries in both Monroe and Bradley Counties. Bradley detectives believe the couple stole 49-vases from the Sunset Memorial Cemetery between October 11th and November 3rd. The break in the case came when the owner of a Monroe County salvage business read about the thefts. He alerted deputies, when he realized some of the vases may have been sold at his business.
My father was a huge fan of the Florida Gators! He could recite statistics freely. His idea of fun was to watch videotapes of previous Florida-Florida State games, particularly those games in which the Gators won!
Dad had a sense of humor where he called one of his grandchildren "Gator." He loved his gators!
I thought it was only fitting after he passed on to leave a concrete gator with the University of Florida colors on his grave. Dad would have blushed with happiness were he alive to see the gift.
Unfortunately, someone stole the gift from my father's grave not long after the placement. If a cemetery item isn't tied down or marked, someone will steal it!
Earlier this year, I ordered two stars one for the Marine Corps and one for the Army. I plan to leave the Army star at Dad's grave and the Marine Corps star at my own memorial site. See articles 182 and 183 at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/articles/VMArticles10.asp for photos of my memorial. Plan ahead I say!
Anyway, I had both stars engraved at a trophy shop so they will hopefully not be stolen from the cemetery sites. You can see the stars on my website at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/USMetalCollection.asp. Folks love these stars and they are a great gift for any veteran.
Remember, cemetery thefts bring bad karma upon the thief and St. Peter is not going to be happy with anyone who seeks entry through the Pearly Gates with this mark on their character. Instill respect for the dead and a love for others by talking to your children and relatives about the importance of cemeteries and how the respect we show the dead reflects upon our values in our society. Just do it as you know it is the right thing to do!
Burton Fletcher
Burton@USAMonuments.com
www.USAMonuments.com
WDEF News 12-->
Published on WDEF (http://wdef.com/)
Couple Charged with Cemetery Thefts
By Larry Mack
Created Dec 13 2006 - 12:53pm
Authorities from two counties believe they've solved a rash of thefts from local cemeteries. 39-year-old Billy Joe and 34-year-old Bonnie Evans of Monroe County face theft charges for stealing bronze vases from cemeteries in both Monroe and Bradley Counties. Bradley detectives believe the couple stole 49-vases from the Sunset Memorial Cemetery between October 11th and November 3rd. The break in the case came when the owner of a Monroe County salvage business read about the thefts. He alerted deputies, when he realized some of the vases may have been sold at his business.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Terminology: Monument Versus Memorial
I recently exchanged email with a columnist regarding the difference between a monument and a memorial. I believe the thoughts may be of interest to my readers. Please feel free to email me your own thoughts at Burton@USAMonuments.com.
"Dear John,
You wrote another fine article, “We still need to hear Dr. King's words, not just visit a monument.” As a Southerner, I recall with appall the days of Jim Crow and overt institutional racism. I too am happy that public racism has been censored in our society. As a young man, I spoke out for equality of treatment for the races. As a society, we have come a long way, though we have not achieved equality of treatment or opportunity for our fellow man.
One point that you made deserves comment by me and I wish to express my view that a monument and a memorial though often considered to be synonymous have different meanings.
We memorialize honorees through monuments, plaques, street signs, moments of silence, parades, proclamations, building dedication ceremonies and holidays to honor the lives of noteworthy individuals, organizations, ideas and events.
Memorials are a broader concept than monuments. Surely, Dr. King deserves to be honored and memorialized as his actions were fundamental in changing the heart of a nation. The remembrance site in Washington D.C. will be a memorial. It is true that it will have one or more monuments, but the site itself is a memorial.
As a nationally recognized monument builder, with numerous national publications on the subject, I can state that a monument is, for all practical purposes, an object of remembrance. A memorial incorporates the use of monuments to memorialize the life or event that persons may wish to perpetuate in memory.
As a memorial designer, and owner of USAMonuments.com, I recognize that most families build monuments for their loved ones and not memorials. Private monuments usually express the name, dates of birth and death and perhaps a short epitaph and little more about the individual.
Memorials celebrate and honor the uniqueness of life, celebrating the characteristics of the individual and serving as a resource to not only honor the individual but to educate others both living as well as those who are not yet born.
I advocate the use of a Life History Plaque to memorialize the life and family history of a family’s loved ones. A $250 investment can serve as a testament that will be cherished through the ages and will turn the typical monument into a memorial that will serve to remind us and celebrate and honor our family history. This is much more to a memorial than a monument and Dr. King deserves to have many monuments and memorials to celebrate his profound positive influence on the moral compass of our nation and the world."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
"Dear John,
You wrote another fine article, “We still need to hear Dr. King's words, not just visit a monument.” As a Southerner, I recall with appall the days of Jim Crow and overt institutional racism. I too am happy that public racism has been censored in our society. As a young man, I spoke out for equality of treatment for the races. As a society, we have come a long way, though we have not achieved equality of treatment or opportunity for our fellow man.
One point that you made deserves comment by me and I wish to express my view that a monument and a memorial though often considered to be synonymous have different meanings.
We memorialize honorees through monuments, plaques, street signs, moments of silence, parades, proclamations, building dedication ceremonies and holidays to honor the lives of noteworthy individuals, organizations, ideas and events.
Memorials are a broader concept than monuments. Surely, Dr. King deserves to be honored and memorialized as his actions were fundamental in changing the heart of a nation. The remembrance site in Washington D.C. will be a memorial. It is true that it will have one or more monuments, but the site itself is a memorial.
As a nationally recognized monument builder, with numerous national publications on the subject, I can state that a monument is, for all practical purposes, an object of remembrance. A memorial incorporates the use of monuments to memorialize the life or event that persons may wish to perpetuate in memory.
As a memorial designer, and owner of USAMonuments.com, I recognize that most families build monuments for their loved ones and not memorials. Private monuments usually express the name, dates of birth and death and perhaps a short epitaph and little more about the individual.
Memorials celebrate and honor the uniqueness of life, celebrating the characteristics of the individual and serving as a resource to not only honor the individual but to educate others both living as well as those who are not yet born.
I advocate the use of a Life History Plaque to memorialize the life and family history of a family’s loved ones. A $250 investment can serve as a testament that will be cherished through the ages and will turn the typical monument into a memorial that will serve to remind us and celebrate and honor our family history. This is much more to a memorial than a monument and Dr. King deserves to have many monuments and memorials to celebrate his profound positive influence on the moral compass of our nation and the world."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Beautiful Memories & The Wisdom Of Clients
I have great relationships with our clients. In one way or another, I seem to learn something from all of my clients. Sandy Reeves hired us to build a memorial for her dad. A message on her email had the following quote: "I dropped a tear in the ocean. When they find it; that's when I'll stop remembering you..."
Those words speak volumes about the bonds we form with our loved ones. I hope you share those same bonds with others in your life. I also hope when you pass away someone will memorialize your memory for eternity. After all, every life is precious and through memorialization, we communicate our love to others.
Sandy, thank you for giving me inspiration.
"I dropped a tear in the ocean. When they find it; that's when I'll stop remembering you..."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
Those words speak volumes about the bonds we form with our loved ones. I hope you share those same bonds with others in your life. I also hope when you pass away someone will memorialize your memory for eternity. After all, every life is precious and through memorialization, we communicate our love to others.
Sandy, thank you for giving me inspiration.
"I dropped a tear in the ocean. When they find it; that's when I'll stop remembering you..."
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Creating Positive Sentimental Memories
I wrote the following article "Creating Positive Sentimental Memories," earlier this year. The original article, with photos of some of my family, can be found in the articles section of our website at http://www.valdostamemorials.com/articles/CreatingMemories.asp. The story and photos express one of those sentimental experiences that each of us should strive to create whenever we can.
I am lucky to have a great relationship with my sister Emma Jean and her family. Over the years, our relationship has strengthened and I now consider her to be one of my best friends. I call her nearly every day for a few minutes of catch up.
I wish I had such a great relationship with all of my family; however, life does not always come to us in the manner that we would like. All we can do is take what we have and make the best of it while striving to create as many positive sentimental memories as the people and events in our lives may allow. Positive sentimenal memories can be planned, and they should alway be cherished. Burton//
The Memorialist: Creating Positive Sentimental Memories
Author: Burton Fletcher
Publication Date: 2006-02
Daily, we are creating memories that will serve to either unite or divide our family that will be stored and invested, to be recalled later with either sadness or happiness.
Celebrations for birthdays, weddings, and funerals are events where long-term memories are created. As part of our construction of the Fletcher Memorial, my brother-in-law, nieces, and others, worked together to build the concrete foundation that would later be covered with granite chips.
I thought this would be a grand opportunity to write our names in the concrete in an area that will hopefully not be disturbed by future burials. This also serves to create a treasure that will evoke positive memories. In essence, this is a time capsule within the collective memories of those who worked together, known to each of us, and available to anyone who may desire to sweep back the granite cover at some future point in time for a peek into the past. I can visualize descendants’ generations from now standing at the memorial site being told the story of the construction of the memorial and how we worked together to create a beautiful family memorial.
While I do not often think of this quality of my character, surely, I am a sentimentalist. Unquestionably, sentimentalism is a quality to my personality that serves me well as a memorialist. I would not want to work with a memorialist who was not a sentimentalist, as emotion and art go hand in hand throughout the creative process.
Just as it is true that you should take time to smell the roses, also take time to write your name in the concrete. Create your own living time capsule of symbols that reinforce a common heritage and family unity; after all, it is the right thing to do!
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
I am lucky to have a great relationship with my sister Emma Jean and her family. Over the years, our relationship has strengthened and I now consider her to be one of my best friends. I call her nearly every day for a few minutes of catch up.
I wish I had such a great relationship with all of my family; however, life does not always come to us in the manner that we would like. All we can do is take what we have and make the best of it while striving to create as many positive sentimental memories as the people and events in our lives may allow. Positive sentimenal memories can be planned, and they should alway be cherished. Burton//
The Memorialist: Creating Positive Sentimental Memories
Author: Burton Fletcher
Publication Date: 2006-02
Daily, we are creating memories that will serve to either unite or divide our family that will be stored and invested, to be recalled later with either sadness or happiness.
Celebrations for birthdays, weddings, and funerals are events where long-term memories are created. As part of our construction of the Fletcher Memorial, my brother-in-law, nieces, and others, worked together to build the concrete foundation that would later be covered with granite chips.
I thought this would be a grand opportunity to write our names in the concrete in an area that will hopefully not be disturbed by future burials. This also serves to create a treasure that will evoke positive memories. In essence, this is a time capsule within the collective memories of those who worked together, known to each of us, and available to anyone who may desire to sweep back the granite cover at some future point in time for a peek into the past. I can visualize descendants’ generations from now standing at the memorial site being told the story of the construction of the memorial and how we worked together to create a beautiful family memorial.
While I do not often think of this quality of my character, surely, I am a sentimentalist. Unquestionably, sentimentalism is a quality to my personality that serves me well as a memorialist. I would not want to work with a memorialist who was not a sentimentalist, as emotion and art go hand in hand throughout the creative process.
Just as it is true that you should take time to smell the roses, also take time to write your name in the concrete. Create your own living time capsule of symbols that reinforce a common heritage and family unity; after all, it is the right thing to do!
Share with us by emailing your thoughts to Burton@USAMonuments.com.
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