Fennimore, Wisconsin

Defined by Our Duds:  The word duds seems not to fit this etching. So, let's say she was defined by her raiment. The past tense, was, does not seem to fit this etching either. So, let's say she will be defined by her raiment. Do wings count as raiment? Prairie Cemetery. [2019]

Williamsburg Ohio

Defined by Our Duds:  His existence may have been defined more by the duds of previous generations than by his own. Sometimes it is more important for headstones to reveal what the ancestors wore. Black granite etchings are one way of keeping the traditions of American Indians "alive" (or at least commemorated). "Just as an eagle soars on and on, you will remain in our hearts." Williamsburg Cemetery. [2016]

Lovington, New Mexico

Defined by Our Duds:  What do you wear when you are a cowboy? Something like this: hats and boots included. And, now, his great grandkids can see how the life he lived was defined by his duds (and his horse!). Lovington Cemetery. [2018]

Darien, Connecticut

Defined by Our Duds:  No, this is not the final resting place of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. But, this couple does personify elegance as much as they did. In both cases, elegance was defined not only by the dance but also by the duds. These two were partners in dance, partners in life, and, now, partners forever. But, were they married? That's unclear. Other mysteries: (1) Why is her name first? (2) Why are there three memorial doves? (3) What does it say in that open book? Spring Grove Cemetery. [2018]

Mancos, Colorado

Defined by Our Duds: Was his appeal the music that he played or the duds that he wore? Maybe you can't separate the two, and it looks like he was defined by both. Now, like a pharaoh, he has an obelisk of his own, and it matches his black suit. Cedar Grove Cemetery. [2013]

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Defined by Our Duds:  The doughboys were the GIs of World War I. (No, not that kind of doughboy.) As soldiers, they were decked out in military duds appropriate for the age. Here's one in action. He seems to have died in his thirties, shortly after he served on the battlefield. He may have been born in Quebec or shortly after his parents arrived to work in the mills of Woonsocket. Immigrants they were, and proud to send their precious blood into battle to fight for the freedoms they loved in the country they came to call home. Precious Blood Cemetery. [2019]

Cynthiana, Kentucky

Defined by Our Duds:  Each of the "seven ages of man" seems to be defined, at least in part, by what we wear. Here, a lad whose life was cut short will forever be remembered as Shakespeare's schoolboy with his "shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school." Well, maybe not exactly. Battle Grove Cemetery. [2015]

Seymour, Illinois

Defined by Our Duds:  Each of the "seven ages of man" seems to be defined, at least in part, by what we wear. Here is a lad who got to experience only two of the seven ages, but he obviously did so with broad smiles, youthful zeal, and duds that provided a different identity for each stage of life. His future was cut short, but his headstone may show us the future of cemetery art: full-color montages of the type you might see hanging above the piano. Riverview Cemetery. [2017]

Canal Winchester, Ohio

Defined by Our Duds:  Sports must have been at the center of his life, and that football uniform he wore as a young man created an identity that accompanied him to the grave. In the mind's eye, so many people see themselves eternally decked out in sports duds. Union Grove Cemetery. [2014]

Loxley, Alabama

Defined by Our Duds:  Actions speak louder than words, so let's dispense with headstone epitaphs and show action instead. How did this couple engage with life? Just look at what they are doing and what they are wearing. He was a referee and she was a seamstress. Maybe those weren't the jobs that brought in the bacon, but they were the jobs that gave them an identity eternal. Greenwood Cemetery. [2017]

Rifle, Colorado

Defined by Our Duds:  Many of us are defined by our work duds. We wear them proudly because our job was a good part of our identity. The lamp on this headstone seems to indicate he spent a lot time underground, which is exactly where he is now. Rose Hill Cemetery. [2013]

Springfield, Massachusetts

Defined by Our Duds:  Dapper means "neat and trim in appearance" according to Merriam-Webster. Here is Mr. Dapper himself. He obviously took pride in how he looked. Wouldn't you like to see his closest? He probably really was defined by his perfectly-polished shoes and perfectly-pressed duds. Oak Grove Cemetery. [2013]

Austin, Texas

Defined by Our Duds:  How do we want to be remembered? Perhaps by what we wear. Many people, in fact, take at least one favorite outfit with them into the next life. No, not the outfit six feet under, the outfit on the headstone. That's the one visitors will see for all time. Here is someone who spent his life "just bummin around." In reality, he probably had a job, and he probably never dressed like a hobo. But, in his mind, that was the life he wanted to live. This month, all month, we will look at people who want to be defined by their duds. Austin Memorial Gardens. [2015]