Names of Donors Set in Stone
Posted on June 12, 2009
Stone engravers spent the past two mornings permanently inscribing donor names into stones within the Standard Process Healing Garden. The finished work will leave a lasting legacy to those who gave money in support of the Healing Garden.
The end result offers little insight into the process or the origin of the craft. Dan Schreder is the owner of Delano Cemetery Services (DCS), the company contracted to perform the work. His father started the company after a long career with Delano Granite Works, which at one time was the largest granite works company in the world. Started as a cemetery-engraving company, DCS has grown into a portable granite works offering on-site engraving at mausoleums, buildings and projects such as the Healing Garden. Schreder worked for his father in the summers and eventually took over the company.
The process is a mixture of automation and craftsmanship. For each stone to be engraved, the message is digitally laid out on a template made of a rubberized plastic material. The template is then laid on the stone on-site, with special care taken to center the message. The lettering is then peeled out of the template. The final step is sandblasting over the template, which etches the letters into the stone but leaves the remainder of the surface intact.
Etching on nearly a dozen stones and pavers was completed. In addition, donations have been made for one memorial garden and nine benches. Engraved brass plaques will be installed to recognize the donors of those items. Click on the link to find more information on how you can leave a legacy in the Healing Garden.
Photos: Start to finish, each engraved stone is a work of art.