What Should You Put on Your Loved One's Headstone
by Sophie Barnes
If someone in your family has recently passed away, then you might be in the process of shopping for their headstone. After all, if you are planning on having your loved one's body buried instead of cremated, then you are probably going to want a headstone that you can set up in the cemetery. There are many decisions that have to be made when you're purchasing a headstone. You must choose the size and style of the headstone and the material that it will be made from. Additionally, you'll need to decide what you want to have printed on the headstone. Part of this is based on your personal preferences or the preferences that your loved one might have told you when they were still living, and part of it's based on things like the size of the headstone. These are some of the basic things that you will probably want to include, though.
Their Name
Naturally, the first thing that you will want to include on your loved one's headstone is their name. Many people choose to include a person's full name, including their middle name. If your loved one was known by another name for part of their life — such as their maiden name — then you might want to include this on their headstone. Many people include a person's nickname on their headstone, too, particularly if they were known by that nickname by a lot of people.
Dates of Birth and Death
Of course, on most headstones, you will want to put the person's date of birth. You will also want to put their date of death. You can choose the format of how you want these dates to be added, based on things like the size of the headstone, the usual format that is used in the cemetery where your loved one is being buried and your preferences.
Special Quote or Message
Although you certainly don't have to, you may want to consider adding a special quote or message to the bottom of your loved one's headstone. You can put a quote or message that you feel summarizes the person's life, or you can put a quote that your loved one said a lot. If your loved one was a public figure or another well-known person, then you may want to add a quote that they were famous for saying, or you may want to add a message that tells a little more about what they were known for.
Share
About Me
Losing a child is the hardest thing anyone could ever go through – I know because it happened to me. Through the grief, I had to find new ways to breathe, to function and to live. Of course, I also had to plan a funeral and memorial service for my child. If you have lost a child or a baby or had a stillborn, you have probably shared many of these feelings. If this has just happened to you, you may be wondering what to do next. First, I extend my sympathy, and secondly, I offer you this blog to help you grieve and help you understand the basics of funeral planning. Take care.