I took a walk with my beagle, Boozer, recently and we ended up in the Smalltown Cemetery. I noticed there were headstones dating back to the early 19th century, and read many of the inscriptions. As I did so, it occurred to me that most of the gravestones said little, other than the length of his or her life, about the person buried there.
I want my gravestone to be different. The mark I leave on this world may be smaller than a gnat’s eye, but I want anyone reading my headstone to know something about me.
There are some inscriptions I don’t want on my stone. A couple of them come to mind:
Joe Wright
He Worked Too Much
and Played Too Little
or,
Joe Wright
He Didn’t Have Much Fun
but He Had a Lot of Money
or,
Joe Wright
1952 to (anything less than 2032)
or,
Joe Wright
Sadly Missed by Almost Noone
I have some ideas for words I’d find acceptable for my gravestone. For instance:
Joe Wright
Devoted Husband and Father
Fan of the Red Sox, Pats, and Beer
or maybe an inscription that tells the story of my demise would let visitors to my grave know I enjoyed life right to the end:
Joe Wright
1952 – 2042
Loving Husband of Winnie Wright (1957 – 2040)
Killed in Bed by a Jealous Young Husband
(do the math)
In the end, we’re all here for a very short while and we leave little behind except a few loved ones and a few words chiseled in stone. Maybe I’ll be lucky and my final resting place will be adorned by a beautiful chunk of granite, into which the following words will be etched:
Joe Wright
1952 – 2040
Devoted Husband & Father
Patriot and Outdoorsman
Died at 88 of a Heart Attack Sustained While Dragging Out
a State Record 12 Point Whitetail Buck
RIP