The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

Leveling Headstones: Why DIY Fixes Are Risky (and What Families Can Do Instead)

Leveling Headstones: Why DIY Fixes Are Risky (and What Families Can Do Instead)

You don’t always notice it right away. Sometimes it’s a small shift you only see once you’re standing in the same place you always stand—near the corner of the plot,...

Adding a Date of Death to a Headstone: On‑Site Engraving, Matching Fonts, and Timing

Adding a Date of Death to a Headstone: On‑Site Engraving, Matching Fonts, and Timing

There is often a quiet blank space on a headstone that families don’t notice until they have to. It may be a single line left open on a companion monument,...

Ceramic Photos on Headstones: Durability, Weather Resistance, and What to Look For

Ceramic Photos on Headstones: Durability, Weather Resistance, and What to Look For

There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles in when you stand in front of a headstone. Names and dates matter, of course. But many families find themselves wanting something...

Mosaic Grave Markers: Weatherproof Materials, Adhesives, and Sealing for Outdoor Use

Mosaic Grave Markers: Weatherproof Materials, Adhesives, and Sealing for Outdoor Use

A mosaic marker is rarely “just a project.” It is a way of saying a name, a story, a symbol—through color and pattern—when words feel thin. A mosaic grave marker...

Bird Baths as Garden Memorials: Placement, Safety for Birds, and Simple Dedication Ideas

Bird Baths as Garden Memorials: Placement, Safety for Birds, and Simple Dedication Ideas

Grief often shows up in ordinary moments. It can meet you at the kitchen sink, on the back steps, or in the quiet pause before you turn the porch light...

Cleaning Headstones With D/2: Safety, Application Tips, and What to Avoid

Cleaning Headstones With D/2: Safety, Application Tips, and What to Avoid

Most people don’t plan to learn about stone cleaning. It usually happens in a quieter moment: you arrive at the cemetery, notice green staining in the lettering, and feel the...

Caring for a Marker: Simple Maintenance Guidance

Caring for a Marker: Simple Maintenance Guidance

There is a moment many families recognize: you arrive at the cemetery with flowers, you kneel to straighten what the wind has shifted, and you notice the marker looks a...

Natural Stone Grave Markers: River Rocks vs Polished Granite (Cost, Durability, and Cemetery Rules)

Natural Stone Grave Markers: River Rocks vs Polished Granite (Cost, Durability, and Cemetery Rules)

Choosing a grave marker can feel like a surprisingly tender decision. It is not “just a stone.” It is the place your mind returns to when you want to say...

GPS Grave Markers: How to Find Graves Without Headstones (and What to Record)

GPS Grave Markers: How to Find Graves Without Headstones (and What to Record)

In a traditional cemetery, a headstone does two jobs at once. It tells a story, and it tells you where to stand. You can arrive years later with a child...

The Meaning of Coins on Headstones: Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, and Quarters Explained

The Meaning of Coins on Headstones: Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, and Quarters Explained

If you have ever walked through a cemetery and noticed a few coins resting on a grave marker, you are not alone. The moment can stop you in your tracks,...

Celebration of Life Quotes: Uplifting Words for Tributes, Programs, and Speeches

Celebration of Life Quotes: Uplifting Words for Tributes, Programs, and Speeches

A celebration of life often asks for a different kind of language than a traditional funeral. The tone is still tender, but many families want it to feel warm, hopeful,...

Headstone and Memorial Quotes: Short Epitaphs, Inscriptions, and ‘In Loving Memory’ Lines

Headstone and Memorial Quotes: Short Epitaphs, Inscriptions, and ‘In Loving Memory’ Lines

Finding the right words for a headstone, grave marker, or plaque is one of those tasks that looks simple until you sit down to do it. You’re trying to honor...

Cremation Headstones and Columbarium Niches: Memorial Options, Designs, and Costs

Cremation Headstones and Columbarium Niches: Memorial Options, Designs, and Costs

Choosing a cemetery memorial after cremation can feel like an unexpected second set of decisions. Many families assume cremation automatically means scattering, and then discover they still want a place...

Memorial Engraving Ideas: Quotes, Headstone Sayings, and Personal Messages That Fit

Memorial Engraving Ideas: Quotes, Headstone Sayings, and Personal Messages That Fit

Engraving is one of the most meaningful details families choose, and it’s also one of the easiest places to get surprised. A message that looks perfect on a screen can...

100+ Memorial Quotes and Short Gravestone Sayings for Headstones, Urns, and Tributes

100+ Memorial Quotes and Short Gravestone Sayings for Headstones, Urns, and Tributes

Choosing words for a headstone, urn, or memorial plaque can feel unexpectedly hard. The space is limited, the feelings are enormous, and many families worry about picking something that sounds...

In Loving Memory Quotes: Epitaph and Headstone Inscription Ideas for Any Loved One

In Loving Memory Quotes: Epitaph and Headstone Inscription Ideas for Any Loved One

Choosing in loving memory quotes for a marker is one of those grief tasks that looks small on paper and feels enormous in real life. You may be trying to...