Creating a grave marker for my husband was daunting to say the least. How could one stone possibly represent how amazing Russ was? As the stone is the last official statement made on Russ' behalf, I had a flood of ideas and doodled a few initial designs before meeting with Kim at Dalton's. She quickly explained what ideas would work, which were a bit unrealistic, and helped my initial thoughts formulate into a stone I am incredibly pleased with. I know Russ is pleased as well.
Kim's experience in grave marker design merged perfectly with her compassion and empathy for what was (and still is, frankly) a very difficult time for me. Technology in marker engraving has certainly advanced in recent years. We ended up with multiple pictures, including one from our wedding in brilliant color. Who knew color pictures were even an option? The result is a beautiful stone that gets complimented frequently both when folks see pictures or visit the cemetery in person.
The Broadway musical, Wicked, played an enormous role in our marriage. We were married in Des Moines, IA on 11/11/2011 at 11:11 AM in what we called our Wonderfully Wicked Wedding. It was at the Civic Center Theater where Wicked was touring. Throughout our eight years together, we would quote lines from Wicked and other musicals. Theater is who we were. The stone was as if they took the colors of Wicked (green, black, and white), and blended them together. The stone color couldn't be more perfect. At first, Kim said that color was discontinued, but then remembered one piece in their collection that may just work. She dropped everything and confirmed it was indeed available and over the next few weeks before things could be finalized, she didn't let others buy it out from under me. When we were finalizing the design, Kim said she did some independent research and had downloaded the Wicked logo. She took great pains to ensure the tiny flying witches would be recognizable when they carved the stone. It was an absolutely wonderful experience working with Kim and her team.
Due to COVID 19, they currently have limited staff. I received an email from Dalton's stating with reduced work force, stones can't be guaranteed to be installed by Memorial Day. The very next day, Kim called and announced Russ' stone was going in that week. I was concerned about Memorial Day based on their email notice, but it was actually installed before Easter. Wonderful. I'll include pictures, if anyone is interested. I can not recommend Dalton's highly enough. I'd happily give them 10 stars if that were an option. Thank you, Kim. read more