At Bott Monument we are privledged to work closely with familys as they celebrate the lasting legacy of the passing of a loved one. A headstone is a proud marker of a life filled with wisdom, love, and the experience of a person living well beyond the years of their prime.
There are times, however, when the passing of a loved one is much more difficult.
I do not remember where I heard the news; whether it was from the radio or the newspaper the next day. What I do rememember is that my heart sank in my chest as I learned the news of a three year old being struck by a car and killed. I cannot even imagine the level of grief these parents went through as their life was abrubtly inturrupted by the shock of losing one of their precious daughters. The only thing I could think of to say when we met was "I'm sorry."
The Romans loved their little girl, and looked at the monument as a final birthday present for her. They wanted something special, something no one else had. We started with some of the ideas they had of things to incorperate-a picture of her, frogs, and vases. Addison was afraid of the dark, so we came up with the idea of having stainless steel balloons afixed to the monument. At night these ballons would illuminate from within, making it so that Addison was never left in the dark. It was a challenge--I had never done anything like this before, but that is why I am in business: to put smiles on the faces of loved ones and show them possibilities that had never before considered. Well the Romans were excited about it. I started out with a drawing:
Addison loved to play outside. Anytime there was a rainstorm, her parents would catch her outside playing in puddles. They wanted a graphic of a little girl splashin in a puddle. We took it one step further. Our artist has done portraiture for over fifteen years. The Romans had no pictures of Addison playing in a puddle, but they gave Lee some photographs of their girl, and with models he was able to create a composite drawing of Addison playing in a puddle. Lee had never done anything like this before, and it was a challenge for him to get the image just right:
Allen, who does all the engraving, prepares the portrait for sandblasting:
Taylor, the Romans' oldest, wrote a personal message on the stone for her little sister:
Backing the crane up to the plot in Lander:
Lee came back a few days later after everything was set to photograph it:
There are times, however, when the passing of a loved one is much more difficult.
I do not remember where I heard the news; whether it was from the radio or the newspaper the next day. What I do rememember is that my heart sank in my chest as I learned the news of a three year old being struck by a car and killed. I cannot even imagine the level of grief these parents went through as their life was abrubtly inturrupted by the shock of losing one of their precious daughters. The only thing I could think of to say when we met was "I'm sorry."
The Romans loved their little girl, and looked at the monument as a final birthday present for her. They wanted something special, something no one else had. We started with some of the ideas they had of things to incorperate-a picture of her, frogs, and vases. Addison was afraid of the dark, so we came up with the idea of having stainless steel balloons afixed to the monument. At night these ballons would illuminate from within, making it so that Addison was never left in the dark. It was a challenge--I had never done anything like this before, but that is why I am in business: to put smiles on the faces of loved ones and show them possibilities that had never before considered. Well the Romans were excited about it. I started out with a drawing:
Addison loved to play outside. Anytime there was a rainstorm, her parents would catch her outside playing in puddles. They wanted a graphic of a little girl splashin in a puddle. We took it one step further. Our artist has done portraiture for over fifteen years. The Romans had no pictures of Addison playing in a puddle, but they gave Lee some photographs of their girl, and with models he was able to create a composite drawing of Addison playing in a puddle. Lee had never done anything like this before, and it was a challenge for him to get the image just right:
Mr. and Mrs. Romans watch as Allen prepares the stone to be set:
