What do tombstones normally say

This site contains affiliate links, meaning that we earn a small commission for purchases made through our site. We only recommend products we personally use or have thoroughly reviewed. When you are at a loss for words after the death of a parent, knowing what to write on a headstone can be very hard.

A common scenario faced by grieving sons and daughters is deciding on headstone inscriptions for parents. This is the case when each parent is eventually laid to rest in adjacent burial plots that share a double grave marker. While standard wording will include details such as the name of the deceased and relevant dates, picking an epitaph or headstone inscriptions for both parents requires more consideration. Ideally, you should pick something that commemorates the memory of your mother and father while celebrating their unique personalities.

This article lists a range of inspiration when choosing what to write. At face value, picking headstone verses for parents seems simple enough. However, family members often clash on opinions as any wording will form a lasting tribute to your loved ones.

Take note of the following tips before committing to an inscription so you get it right the first time:. You are not limited to one approach when deciding on headstone epitaphs for parents. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death. Song of Solomon If I knew, I might toss out my anchor. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart. My brother was a state Supreme Court judge. Would it be proper to inscribe his headstone : HON.

The classic style is yes, do include the comma. But I have seen inscriptions go both ways, and even without the period i. Thanks for asking! My dad passed away about 6 months ago followed by my mum just recently. My mum is buried on top of her mum but we have also put my dads ashes in with my mum.

There is space for one person in the headstone but we would like to redo headstone with all 3 of them on it. Is there any way I can incorporate all 3 into one headstone? Yes, I think you can. You would just need to discuss it with the headstone maker. I would like to know is there a proper way to set up the front of a Memorial Stone with 2 last names and 3 first names for my beloved late husband of 17 yrs. No plans to remarry.

If this was you what would you suggest? A small subtitle somewhere or none at all? Using 2 last names at top followed by all 3 full names OR 1 last top, 2 first names; then1 last name and 1 first?

A suggestion made that I should have my maiden name in all capitals. Have you ever seen this to be some lower case letters example Geneology when all other lettering on stone is in capitals? Thank you so much for your help. Hi Jill, thanks for asking your question! I think this would ultimately come down to a discussion with the headstone manufacturer. Ultimately, it will come down to 1 what will fit, and 2 what you want. By providing the amount of time together, you indicate the significance of the relationship.

Thank you for this help. A suggestion made that I should have my maiden name added in all capitals for Genealogy. Have you ever seen a maiden name to be some lower case letters ex. MARY A. Any rule of thumb or just personal visual choice?

I have not personally seen the lowercase maiden name like that. But of course you are welcome to go with your own personal preference. My mother recently died and we intend to inter the ashes at a different location to the rest of her family. We are able to have a headstone and have asked and been told we can include the names of the other deceased relatives but should show that their remains are not at the same site. There are five names in total any advice on how we can word it?

Hopefully that helps get you started! Any of those or similar phrases can work, whatever feels right for your family. Then list the names.

Such a wonderful and helpful article. Thank you. We recently lost our 9 month old and purchased a family plot. My husband is a Jr. We will have our last name across the top and each of our first and middle names below.

So, my question is, if we usually write Jr. My friend, companion and wife of 32 years recently died and I am still finding it difficult to reduce her life to an 8 minute eulogy I wrote and read at the Church she last attended with one of her brothers.

Your site gives very useful information and avoids causing undue struggle with battling pop-up ads and other annoyances at a time when I just need to keep everything simple, not just my writing. Sincere thanks to those who contribute and do the editing. This is our second marriage…his wife died 9 years before we married, but I was dear friends with her. When she died, he purchased two plots and had headstones set for each of them.

He will not be buried here, but I feel that the memorial still should remain. He was cremated and we have plans for distributing his ashes in various places that he loved. My question is about how to carry on the 20 years since his first wife passed? Should I consider replacing the headstone? Should I talk with the cemetery about adding a second headstone?

This is clearly a unique situation, as it is less common to have the headstones in place ahead of time and even less so when there is a later marriage involved. Or if you wanted to go a different direction and do a memorial stone at home in your backyard or garden, that might be another option. My mom was predeceased by my dad her husband and all of her siblings. Hi We are burying our Mother with our Father…. Mother chose the wording on the memorial after Father passed, not a lot of room left for her memorial…please could you give some suggestions what we could write, plus how to include her on the memorial….

Can you help me with the type of engraving to use on Georgia grey granite? The company we plan to hire wants to use sandblast in a panel with dark grey lithochrome. I want to make sure the lettering will last as long as possible. Should I insist on a V-cut? Your advice on wording was very helpful. I hope this helps! Johnson died before mother died.

We never discussed her wishes for this piece. Thank you for your advice. Great question. That would cover the Challenger and Williamson parts of her life, without getting into the divorce details.

Yes, I would certainly provide correct attribution for the quote. We feel we never truly loved our first spouses, as we love one another. We were so young and naive when we first married and although we cared deeply for our first spouses at one point in time, there simply is no comparison to the love and devotion that we share for one another in our marriage. And just mention the two children?

My husband agrees with this, but we understand that some family will wonder why the omission of married name. Should I be using punctuation? Is no punctuation proper? What are you thoughts? That sounds acceptable. You may want to ask those closest to her about it if possible — children, siblings, or parents.

But since it sounds like her ex-husband is in charge of her arrangements, ultimately it will be what he or the two of you decide. Read the Bible and find scriptures that speak to you about your loved one's death to use as grave marker sayings. Here are examples from Scripture that would be appropriate for a headstone.

Some headstones are large enough to write a short poem on them. You can write your own poem or use one already written by someone else and give the poet credit. The following excerpt from John Donne's famous poem, Death Be Not Proud , could make a fitting message for a headstone.

Emily Bronte's poem, Death , paints a striking image of a life cut down in its prime. There's one line in particular that would make a touching epitaph. The stone on the grave of author Mark Twain's daughter is engraved with the final stanza of a poem titled Annette , originally written by Robert Richardson.

Twain altered the last line slightly to read:. Deciding which inscription to place on a loved one's headstone is not always an easy thing to do.

If you want to save your loved ones from the responsibility of choosing your epitaph, consider what you might like your headstone to say , and make sure your wishes are known ahead of time.

Just choose carefully, even if you'd like it to be something funny , because whatever you have written will be the final impression you leave behind.

Simple Headstone Inscriptions First, take a little time to really think about that person's life and what he meant to everyone. Life References as Headstone Messages Remarks in this category of gravestone inscriptions usually acknowledge something about a person's various roles in life.

Here lies a beloved mother , wife, daughter, etc. Here lies a beloved husband, father, son, etc. The sun shined brighter because she was here. Beloved by family, cherished by friends The world is a richer place because he once lived.

Personal Grave Marker Quotes Sometimes a less formal statement makes a wonderful quote to put on a headstone, especially if it's a direct quote of your loved one. Now I'll have a good rest.