Mattoon, Illinois

In the Arms of Angels:  Enjoy the hug Andrea. Your soul, represented here by a heart, has been lifted above the earth, but your epitaph remains behind for generations of earthlings to read. It's an epic epitaph: epic (from Greek epos, meaning word) in the sense of "beyond the ordinary." You were so BELOVED, it was epic. Rest Haven Memorial Gardens. [2017]

Manteno, Illinois

Unicorns on Parade:  The unicorn is a symbol of love, but it is also a symbol of pure fantasy. And, finally, on the verso of this headstone, we have a right-sized horn. It should be at least as long as a clarinet (see it?). Remember how long the horn was on that unicorn in Bristol? In fact, what came to be traded as unicorn horns in the Middle Ages were from narwhals, sea mammals that have been labeled "unicorns of the sea." See below. Narwhals were never seen by Europeans because they live in the Arctic Ocean, so their horns could be traded as unicorn horns and nobody would know the difference. Elmwood Cemetery. [2015]

Zeigler, Illinois

Unicorns on Parade:  Today is National Unicorn Day, so let the parade begin with two unicorns standing sentry (saluting?) over the remains of someone's wife. She must have been a strong woman because strength is the trait which the Book of Numbers associated with the one-horned animal, which bore the name re'em in Hebrew, but which was translated as "monoceros" and then "unicorn." Zeigler Cemetery. [2015]

Energy, Illinois

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes, or cremains. Option 0: That's right, again. You can't just take the ashes to the cemetery and bury them, at least without the blessing of management. Egyptian Memorial Gardens. [2015]

Chicago, Illinois

Burial or Cremation?  If someone is cremated, the problem becomes what to do with the ashes. Option 1: Bury the ashes below ground. Burial of cremains seems to be out of favor, however. The advantage is that you join your ancestors, most of whom are underground simply because that was the time-honored way of disposing of the dead. The disadvantage is that your remains will be underground and you didn't like that idea to begin with. What are the other options? Graceland Cemetery. [2015]

Glen Ellyn, Illinois

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First: The seal tells us that he was in the Air Force; the dates on the seal tell us he probably fought in the Korean War. Rank: Major? Only a surmise based on his family name which ends with meier, Germanic, from a root that gives us both major and mayor. Now, put that idea together with the first syllable of his family name. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Chrisman, Illinois

Picture-Perfect Farmsteads:  That's a picture-perfect farmstead with picture perfect barns and a picture perfect driveway. Where is it located? In the heart of the corn belt. In fact, space for the farm seems to be carved out of the corn fields. Woodland Cemetery. [2014]

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]

Charleston, Illinois

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  At the Doty Title Company, the upright typewriter was probably their best friend. The commercial typewriter came into prominence in the U.S. in the 1880s; it was first supplanted by the electric typewriter, and then by the computer keyboard; today in the U.S. (but not in the rest of the world) it is extinct. Rosemont Cemetery. [2017]

Forest Park, Illinois

Free-Range Figurines: The place is Showmen's Rest, a section of the cemetery set aside for circus workers. Guarding their petit domaine are two pachyderms, loyal friends from the world of work, but also big enough and strong enough to carry them off to the great beyond. Woodlawn Cemetery. [2006]

Harristown, Illinois

Free-Range Figurines: Just because it is plastic, doesn't mean it isn't a sculpture. Maybe this pink flamingo is a sign the WL's spent their winters in Florida. This bird seems to have legs to stand on, but no feet, so how free-range can he be? Harristown Cemetery. [2015]

Charleston, Illinois

Log Cabins Forever:  "Harry and Nan are sleeping side by side and their spirits are roaming with the blessed." He would have been in his 20s when he fought for the G.A.R. She would have been at home with her parents, probably (like him) on the Illinois prairie. This log cabin may be where their life together started. She was clearly devoted to her husband and to perpetuating the memory of  the "Northern" cause. How do we know? She was a member of the Women's Relief Corps. Mound Cemetery. [2017]

Christopher, Illinois

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ Third Person Singular Subjective Case:  "He gave his life in the attempt to save his children in their burning home." St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery. [2015]

Chicago, Illinois

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ Third Person Singular Subjective Case:  "He was tidy. Love yourself." Graceland Cemetery. [2015]

Marshall, Illinois

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ N:  The letter N is the 6th most frequently used letter in the English language. No dates are visible on this memorial, but what would you hypothesize? Clue 1: shape of memorial. Clue 2: Presence of surname initial. Clue 3: Gothic font. Marshall Cemetery. [2017]

Weldon, Illinois

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ E:  The letter E is the most frequently used letter in the English language. Here, it rests comfortably in the arms of a laurel wreath as if to proclaim two triumphant winners of the human race (man and wife). And, perhaps to proclaim E the winner of the English-usage alphabet race, as well. Nixon Township Cemetery. [2015]

Charleston, Illinois

Bequeathed to the Living ~ Biker Wisdom:  "It's not the destination. It's the journey." So sayeth Jaybird. Roselawn Cemetery. [2017]

Christopher, Illinois

'The Twelve' and Their Cemetery Namesakes ~ St. Andrew:  Peter and his brother Andrew were the first called of the twelve, but it is far more difficult to find cemeteries named after Andrew. Why do some of the disciples regularly and consistently have cemeteries named after them, while others have few or none? Why are so many cemeteries named after Peter and only a fraction named after Andrew? St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery. [2015]

Charleston, Illinois

How Many Leaves on an Irish Clover ~ Four?  Finding a four-leaf clover will bring you luck. He was lucky enough to be deemed "A Legend" and to be a septuagenarian before he cashed in his treasures. Maybe he thought that quadrupartite talisman would also bring him luck on the other side. Roselawn Cemetery. [2017]

Charleston, Illinois

Artistically Yours:  Could she have been an art teacher? Is that the bell that called her pupils to class? (Or, the bell that called her own kids to dinner: in the days when kids still played outside!) What is most remarkable about this couple, though, is how coupled they must have been. They were born in the same year. They were married just as they reached their majority.  Many years later, they died in the same year. You can bet they also finished each others' sentences! Roselawn Cemetery. [2017]