To all my Dear Friends and Family,

I have reached a milestone here in my life and wanted to share it with each of you.

It was always my intention to create a memorial place (a headstone) in memory of Jack. He will be gone from each of us four years at the end of July. At first, it was my intent to have two trees planted in Fountain Hills as a memorial to what we meant to each other. That never went anywhere mainly because of problems that the city was having with their watering system.

I then turned my attention to the possibility of a memorial marker in Norway, Michigan, the place of Jack's birth. I finally decided that this option was nonsensical for me because I would seldom if ever be able to visit a cemetery so far away. Moreover, Jack never wanted to return to Norway (he loved Arizona).

Therefore, I gave up on that idea. I contemplated having a headstone at a local Scottsdale cemetery, however, that too seemed mired in a lot of expense for something I would seldom venture out in public to view.

I finally decided on a Memorial Rock for Jack in my own back yard. The pictures attached are the result--the living memorial to Jack.

For me the process of grieving Jack has been long and torturous. However, I have worked every moment of it--every minute, hour, day, week, month and year of it. If you do not, you are unable to emerge from the other side of grief.

I am 85 percent there, I have 10 percent more to go, and 5 percent will remain a life long journey. I suppose only those of you who have lost a spouse or mate will be able to understand that 5 percent which will simply stay with me forever. I am living proof that you can transcend this type of loss. I wear the scars of this process with honor, and would have taken no other path to arrive at where I am.

The Memorial Rock for Jack, as well as the book I wrote in his memory, are two of the greatest tangible examples to that recovery. If you are receiving this message, it means you mean something to me or you were someone special to Jack.

As Jack would have said in closing, a phrase that means something if you have read (my book) "Finding My Banana Bread Man"......."Love you--lots lots"

John R. Davis, Author

"Finding My Banana Bread Man: A Journey Through Mourning",
268 pages, is available in paperback through Wheatmark Bookstore.

"...a moving memoir that reveals the resilience of the human spirit in the face of personal tragedy. I only wish every patient could be so lucky to have such a devoted partner and advocate as John Davis."--Katrina Firlik, MD, neurosurgeon and author.

Fortunately, the rains stopped in the late evening and the saturated soil (actually clay in Texas) allowed us to "sink" the boulder to a perfect depth. It looks absolutely MAGNIFICENT--it's so natural looking that I'm sure no-one would ever believe that it's not a real boulder! In fact, we all stood back and admired it as the sun slowly sunk in the west. It was a perfect moment and (my husband) Marc would have loved the moment, the setting and, especially, the boulder.

Thank you again for providing us with the "perfect" memorial. I will be eternally grateful that I discovered you (or, as I suspect, did Marc lead me to you?). It's a rarity in this day and age to find a company with such high standards--a company that believes in excellence; takes great pride in their product; and treats their customers with such loving care and respect.

You have achieved that and you should be very proud of yourself and your company--you have every right to be! Thank you again for everything. Fondly, Grace."

Grace Richards
Trophy Club, TX

I am delighted with them and the staff's reaction was that they are brilliant and should prove to be good sellers, so much so that one of my staff (who is my wife) wants me to reserve one for us!

I think we may well be back for some more of these as not only are they obviously well made in every detail, but the color and style of the (Memorial Rocks) fit in so well with our grounds that the possibilities for further projects are endless.

If you have (interested cemetery managers) in the UK then I am more than happy for them to visit us and use our site as a showroom if they require. If not then please feel free to recommend a visit to any other potential buyers here in the UK as I am very pleased to be able to promote (your products)."

Jon Cox
The London Cremation Co.
Banbury Crematorium, Oxfordshire

I've attached a couple photos of the unveiling ceremony. (One of our employees), who is a disabled war veteran, was instrumental during the planning of our dedication ceremony; and he was extremely pleased with--and proud of--the outcome.

Once again, thanks for everything you did to make the dedication of the Michigan Metroplex Processing & Distribution Center a most memorable event."

Dan Orton, Communications Specialist
USPS, Southeast Michigan District

Grief often weighs you down with sorrow and other emotions, draining you of the energy to go through your daily routines. Sometimes placing a marker at a site or grave is the best way to help get over grief. This is an important life decision since bronze is one of the world's most durable and timeless metals and will be seen for hundreds of years by future generations.

(This website) offers a more simple, cost-saving and enjoyable way to order bronze memorials and grave markers direct from their foundry. (Unlike Valley Monuments, Inc.), many places don't forge or cast bronze plaques or markers, because it is so expensive.

This makes it very hard to find a good reputable place, to get your plaque or markers made. You need to ask a professional for assistance in your time of need. I believe that if we had gone with a bronze marker instead of a marble stone (when we needed to order a memorial in the past), then we might have been about to get a better deal.

We found all too late that the company who processed the photos, and placed them on the headstones, went out of business right after we obtained their services. We never got our money back and the photo for the headstone, was never processed and delivered. I call that a big letdown, in a sad time of mourning for our family."

Nita Watson
http://nitawatson44.blogspot.com

They have many different bronze plaques and memorial plaques, and they have so many designs to choose from. In fact, while I was browsing the site, I found a pretty cool looking bronze grave marker that has a stream and fish on it, and I immediately thought of my husband. Is that weird? I guess it's a good thing to be prepared, right? This site has so many epitaph examples to look through, I guess I was bound to find something I liked.

I think he would prefer a grave marker to a huge tombstone. We are all about the simple things, so why change that? I was also reading about their commemorative and dedication plaques, and was impressed with all that Valley Monuments offers. For instance, if you want a garden memorial plaque that you are going to mount on a boulder, rock or tree stump, they can make a fake boulder, rock, or tree stump for you and have it delivered to your doorstep. It will also have the plaque mounted when they deliver it.

If you are thinking of having a plaque made for any reason, check out this site. There is no middle man since they cast your plaque themselves in their bronze foundry, which keeps their prices down."

http://mykidsaremyworld.blogspot.com

I am sure that is what she would have wanted, as the money was put to good use. However, it was discovered that she didn't have anyone. She had not had any children, had never married as far as was known, and had no one who ever came to check on her. In fact, some neighbors were not aware that a house had been there, only an empty, overgrown lot. As the bramble and branches were hacked away, the home emerged.

That being so, members of the rescue buried her and had a proper funeral. They bought a headstone and bought her a plot. It made me very attune to all the requests I see out there for help with a plaque. This is but one example, but other people and other organizations find themselves in the position of needing to purchase one or asking for donations for a bronze plaque for various purposes.

It could be a plaque at no one's grave, but for a memorial plaque or marker letting the public know who a tree was planted in memory of. I know that such things can sometimes eat away at any money that was left behind, but just like anything else, I found that you can shop the competition online.

Actually (this website) has some all-inclusive prices that you can use as a guide in case you should find yourself being duly elected to the fact finding committee (a committee of one). Most of the time (when shopping for a bronze plaque), you have to call for quotes, but this website pretty much has things laid out in the open.

I hope your organization never finds themselves in the position of burying a member because no one is left. I hope it is more likely that someone living wins the lottery and you decide to commemorate their gift of a park bench with a plaque instead."

http://houndsgood.com

The Memorial Rock will memorialize U.S. Army Specialist Eric L. Toth, 21, of Edmonton, KY who was killed in Iraq on March 30, 2005, in his humvee after escorting a convoy on the main supply route in Baghdad.

The company's corporate headquarters in Michigan issued a statement to the media expressing "deepest sympathies" to the Toth family.

"A memorial stone will be set in place at the Glasgow facility to commemorate his service and dedication to his family, country and Federal-Mogul," said the statement by company spokeswoman Tracy Cassady.

It would have been nice if they could have been able to afford a nice bronze grave marker with a nice epitaph such as this website where you will see a wide selection of bronze grave markers and bronze plaques that can be used as a grave marker, put on some kind of memorial rock or memorial tree, and much more.

What ever the memory (whether happy or sad), BronzeMarkersAndPlaques.com has what you need at affordable prices. Their bronze foundry is one of only a few left in this continent, and if you buy directly from them, you leave out the middleman cost that the funeral home (or whoever ), will charge you.

If you check out the website, you will see that bronze memorial plaques and bronze grave markers are well within your budget. The reality is, you never know when it is going to be time to take these kinds of actions. Life is unpredictable, and you should be prepared. God bless."

http://shydub-simplehappylife.blogspot.com

These rocks are lighter than you'd think--about 50 lbs. or so instead of the (800 lb.) rocks that they are meant to emulate. They are cast out of about 1" thick stone and have an eye-bolt security system which will thwart would-be thieves. The interior and base of the rock are hollow so that you could even put your loved one's urn inside of the rock if you wanted to.

Besides these neat rocks, the company offers a wide range of bronze plaques and grave markers. They have a huge range of designs and styles available and are open to customizations. They have short turnaround times while still maintaining a very high quality product.

They offer much more than memorials or grave markers though, some of their products are even downright upbeat! LOL! They have distinction awards, dedication plaques, and things of that nature. Their costs seem to be significantly lower as well because there is no middle man involved. Instead, you are buying direct from the foundry."

http://www.paula.thebentleys.ca

Even searching on the Internet (for a bronze marker) can be a frustrating experience since there are lots of sites to review, most of which purposely don't show their prices. And it is not hard to find sites that claim to be the actual manufacturer, even when you see the same 'sample' photos displayed on multiple sites. Who really IS making the plaque?

And then there is the time needed to make a call, fax or email text and design, and wait for a quote. Definitely not the best way to make use of your time.

Instead, Valley Monuments, Inc.'s website is simple to use. It promotes its 100 year old foundry, one of the last in North America that is still family owned. The site gives foundry-direct pricing on their highly crafted products, whether it is needed as a bronze memorial, a recognition plaque, a garden commemorative or any of many award plaques and bronze grave markers.

Whether you need a bronze plaques, memorial plaques, commemorative plaques, or any other of their products, the all-inclusive prices are clearly listed, including free unlimited 'text that fits' in the design, no charge for line art-style graphics or logs, fast turnaround time of proofs by fax or email and free shipping."

He created a circle of (bronze sculptured) children and animals in playful poses titled "On The Mend." We used a vary natural-colored Estate Boulder with bronze plaque to recognize both Mr. Bora and the donors of the sculpture.

Everyone loves it as it fits in with our natural theme for this building and looks a lot like boulders you would find in this area of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. (The manufacturer) was fantastic! They were quick, responsive, kept us totally informed and delivered a quality product that fits the decor of the region and blends perfectly with the sculpture."

Bruce Thorsen, President
Mission Healthcare Foundation, Inc., Asheville, NC
www.MissionHospitals.org

Up until recently, I didn't have the faintest idea as to where one would go about buying these sorts of things. Until the spring of 2005, death was a foreign concept that didn't really hit home with me. No one in my immediate family had ever died until that point, and the only reason that I say immediate was because my grandmother lived with us from almost my birth all the way up until her death.

Had my grandmother been able to live even a year longer, she would probably have met my son. But since I spent the good lot of that year caring for her as her cancer progressed and got worse, had she still been alive by March of 2006 I doubt that I would even have had time to conceive my son, truth be told!

I'm really glad that there are places like BronzeMarkersAndPlaques.com, though. They make the choosing and the ordering process as easy as it can ever be in times like those. And even though the economy is pretty bad right now, you can still rest assured that you'll be able to get something meaningful and nice for your loved ones whenever their "time" might come. And that reminds me; I need to visit my grandmother's gravestone."

Jennifer Hennings
Sioux Falls, SD