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Present An Homage To The Deceased's Private And Public Image On A Headstone

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On many headstones, engraving a name, the dates of birth and passing, and nice words such as "Beloved Spouse" sufficiently honors the deceased. What if the recently departed had another public persona and many people knew him or her by a different name or image? A person who achieved fame as a local broadcaster in the 1970's or as a hero in a lesser-known sport in the 1960's may have a following of fans who maintain fond recollections. Creating a nod to the character or another role he or she played in life could be a nice and inexpensive homage to the other life the deceased lived. 

Crafting a Beautiful, Budget-Conscious Headstone

A modest-sized tombstone does not exactly provide a great deal of space to work with, but do not assume the stone has to be very large and costly to convey the desired homage. Those with significant money to spend on large grave monuments could include significant engraved wording and imagery. Not every family has the ability to do this even when the person who passed away was relatively famous. With the proper, simple design, a smaller headstone could still present a perfect memorial.

Creating Two Sections to the Headstone

The design of the gravestone's face could be split in two with the "real" person receiving 2/3's to 3/4's of the stone and then the previous persona being noted in the remaining space. Something as simple as putting "[Stage name], the Great Roller Derby Star of The [Team Name] from 1965-1978" provides a nice nod to that previous career.

Of course, the person does not necessarily have to be a one-time famous celebrity to receive such an acknowledgment. Similar wording could be used to mention the person who was once a popular teacher or a local politician. The key point is that special "other life" receives a deserved mention.

Adding an Image

The inclusion of a relevant image crafted into the stone would be a nice highlight. An image such as a hockey stick or a football would be great for a sports star. A cap and gown is fine for a teacher or academic. The scales of justice fit a lawyer or politician nicely.

None of these images are necessarily complicated to engrave into a stone. A funeral home director (such as one from M J Murphy Funeral Home) should be able to accommodate the request for such images without excessively driving up the costs of the funeral.


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