Sometimes you meet the absolute best when life is at its absolute worst. Before I get into specifics, I'd like to say that this company is top-notch. From their showroom reps to the their behind the scenes artists, craftspeople and installers. And I don't pay this compliment lightly. I am a very particular person with high expectations. These folks knocked it out of the park. Every single step of this project was met with the utmost patience, care and professionalism. I never felt I was imposing when I asked questions or made requests. And no request was too big. In fact, one of my design asks lead to a road block. They could have easily let the situation ride, and that would have been the end of that. But they didn't. Instead, they came up with a very creative solution. The end result? Spectacular. Creating a forever tribute was extremely difficult for me. I had already faced too many end of life realities; made too many decisions that no one should have to make. And I was ... weary. To make the situation even more daunting, I knew I had to get this right the first time. Mistakes in stone are permanent. I searched both the internet and local cemeteries for inspiration, but nothing stood out to me. I worried I was going to have to settle for ordinary. Discouraged, I visited the showroom of Des Moines - Winterset Memorials on University, a business I have passed by a million times; always with a glance, but never a need ... until now. With low expectations, I passed through their trademark front yard cemetery and entered their showroom. Within moments I was standing in front of what would become the gravestone I was searching for. I could not believe they had what I was unable to locate online or spot in the wild. I began to feel hopeful. With the floor manager's help, I made an appointment to meet with a rep, and returned a couple of days later to discuss the stone. That's when I met Tony, Des Moines - Winterset Memorials' sales representative extraordinaire. From moment one I knew I was in the right place and in excellent hands. Tony explained where and how the stone was quarried, shaped and polished, as well as the technique the artisans used to create the beautiful, three-dimensional detailing. From there Tony invited me into a comfortable meeting room where we discussed the memorial details: the words and imagery that would adorn the stone forever. This creative phase had its own unique challenges and ultimately took weeks to finalize, not because of Tony, but because of me. And the man has the patience of a saint. Not only did I have more words than a gravestone could possibly hold, I wanted to incorporate design images from my deceased grandparent's gravestone that was made 50+ years prior. And this is where Team Tony really excelled. While I worked on whittling down the pros to a more realistic count, Tony; unbeknownst to me, visited the family grave and literally traced the images from the 50 year old gravestone, which he turned over to the graphic designers to use as a template for the new stone. To say that I was touched that Tony did this is an understatement. The Big Reveal A couple of weeks later I received an email from Tony. The stone was complete. In fact, the stone was installed. After almost five years of plotting, planning and postponing, this project; this chapter, was coming to an end. I was a wreck. As I stood in front of my mother's grave, I was dumbfounded. The headstone was ... perfection. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I was so taken seeing my mother's headstone for the first time, I actually felt joy; an emotion I had not associated with this unbearable loss until that very moment. I smiled from ear to ear. And I marveled at the exquisite reproductions made from the old gravestone to the new, thanks to Tony and his tracing paper. I am proud of this accomplishment. I am beyond grateful to Team Tony and Des Moines - Winterset Memorials for their outstanding craftsmanship and their kind and thoughtful hearts. read more

I truly appreciate the kindness and help from the staff they were all wonderful during sad time. Thank you

I was in town for the Iowa Fair and decided to design a headstone for myself and my husband. Sherryl Viars worked with me to design exactly what I wanted, a Celtic ancient Irish cross with a the opposite side incorporating a verse my granddaughter had written for my birthday. I grew up in Des Moines and wanted a place of contemplation and family history. Sherryl was patient and being an artist herself, she knew how to make this dream come true for me. It is GORGEOUS, simple and elegant. I am so grateful read more