Madison, Wisconsin

Live Your Dash:  He lived his dash as a loving son and brother. What else filled his life? Ice hockey? Green Bay? That is so American, yet look at his name. It is Turkic, but his roots may not be in Turkey. He may be from Bosnia or Croatia, an immigrant from the Balkans in the 1990s. Dane County, owing to the university, has a reputation for welcoming immigrants. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Kennewick, Washington

Live Your Dash:  Like the dash, his life was short. Was it filled with music and travel? The axe suggests the former, but the airliner may point to something else. Shall we add a third to our list: love? Love that is already missed and forever in the hearts of those he left behind. Riverview Heights Cemetery. [2019]

Knapp, Wisconsin

Picture-Perfect Farmsteads:  Perhaps their farmstead was not picture perfect. Perhaps she wanted a single-story ranch house instead of a two-story farm house. Voila! It looks like she got it. Now, it is a picture-perfect farmstead. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Fennimore, Wisconsin

Picture-Perfect Farmsteads:  This family is going nowhere. They are straying on their farm forever. How do we know that? There they are with their tractors: mom, dad, and the three kids. What is that on the other side of the road? Must be "God's Green Acre." Prairie Cemetery. [2019]

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]

Madison, Wisconsin

Portraits Etched into Granite:  These two may not be side by side, but they are united by one surname and, apparently, by the Magen David, or Star of David, at the top. It looks like she may have been a convert to Judaism who still took pride in her Christian roots. She chose her Russian Orthodox Church to symbolize her life, and he chose his profession, journalism, to symbolize his. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2019]

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ Third Person Singular Subjective Case:  "She Was The Sunshine On Our Shoulders and The Wind Beneath Our Wings." Evergreen Cemetery. [2012]

Knapp, Wisconsin

Voices from the Land of the Living ~ First Person Plural Subjective Case:  "We love you and miss you." Forest Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Ellsworth, Wisconsin

The Holy Estate of Matrimony ~ One Ring:  Why do so many wedding rings, replete with wedding dates, show up on headstones? Here's one theory: To remind him not to forget their anniversary (like he did so often when they were alive)! Maple Grove Cemetery. [2012]

Knapp, Wisconsin

The Holy Estate of Matrimony ~ Two Rings:  Why do people throw rice at wedding? It's nothing more than a fertility ritual. "May your marriage be as fertile as these grains of rice!" The gain could be wheat or corn, but the message would be the same. The triumph of rice as the traditional grain is probably explained by the color of the milled kernels: White matches the wedding dress, and in both circumstances symbolizes purity (which the couple is are about to "throw away"!).  Forrest Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Nicknames as Ties That Bind:  Meet Bill and Ms Ellie: "Each for the other. Both for God." If you grew up in the mid-20th century, you had at least one friend named Bill or, as a youngster, Billy. Never would they be called William or even Will. As for Ms Ellie: think about how the atmospherics change depending on the way it is pronounced. Mis Ellie vs. Miz Ellie. Evergreen Cemetery. [2012]

Knapp, Wisconsin

Macronutrients in the Cemetery:  It may be beans and corn in Meso-America, but in Cuba and many other places, it is beans and rice. Beans supply the protein, and rice the calories and, if prepared property, micronutrients as well. In India, it's lentils and rice: proteins and calories. If you prefer, substitute meat for your protein. Otherwise, enjoy being a vegetarian. Forest Hill Cemetery. [2012]

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Crux Immissae:  The one symbol that unites all Christians (Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses excepted) is the cross. It is probably the most common religious icon in cemeteries all over the Christian world. Although, it comes in hundreds of styles, the simplest is called the Latin Cross or the Protestant Cross. It is empty because "He is risen." To Christians, the cross is a reminder that Jesus gave his followers the power to overcome death, and that's a good lesson to take to the grave with you. Evergreen Cemetery. [2012]

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Oh Babe, I Hate to Go:  "Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said Draco to Harry. "Sure you can manage that plane, Brehm?" Yes to both questions. Just think: When this pilot was born, the airplane had been around less than twenty five years; yet, as a man, he made it his life's work. Before that time, a lot of dreams must have been wrapped up in broomsticks. St. Joseph Cemetery. [2012]

Woodville, Wisconsin

Shabtis ~ Egyptian Revival?  Everyone needs a shabti to go riding with in the afterlife. Do some reading about the form and function of shabtis in ancient Egyptian burial practices. Then compare what you find to the form and function of countless small figurines that are part of the contiguous zone of so many graves in North America. Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery. [2012]

The Manchester Museum
2012

Menominie, Wisconsin

Singling Out Historical Events:  How many historical events are commemorated here? Exactly 1,111. If you ever want to turn back the clock because you think the past was so much better than the present, just read this historical marker and count your blessings. In fact, just visit any historical cemetery and count your blessings. Evergreen Cemetery. [2012]

Ellsworth, Wisconsin

One of Many ~ The Janisch Clan:  Janisch is a rare surname in the United States; it originates with the Christian name Jan or Johannes. From the map, you can see that Janisch families were concentrated in the Upper Midwest in 1920. Still, the number of families was few. To the prairies of the United States they came from central Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s, part of an immigrant wave from the Slavic frontier of the German realm. Maple Grove Cemetery. [2012]

Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/

Woodville, Wisconsin

Let's Learn About Accordions:  The accordion must have been popular among the northern Europeans. Ellefson is a name of Norwegian origin and quite common in the Upper Midwest. That would include not only Wisconsin, but also North Dakota where America's most famous accordionist was born. His name was Lawrence Welk, and he died in 1992. It would be 'wonnerful' if he had an accordion on his headstone (but he doesn't). Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery. 2012.

Maiden Rock, Wisconsin

Music of the Angels ~ Guitars:  If you could pick just one of your possessions to immortalize on your headstone, what would it be?  For many people, its a musical instrument, and the guitar seems to be the most popular of all.  Guitar chords are probably not what Fanny Crosby had in mind when she wrote Music of the Angels more than a century ago, but it's the sound of choice for mortal ears today.  Ono United Methodist Church Cemetery.  [2012]

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Ears of Wheat:  Count the ears of wheat on each headstone, then count the offspring below: Jeff, Andre, Kris, Eric, Chad. Five ears, five children. There's no better way to celebrate the fullness of the harvest than with a grain which is symbolic of fertility and a metaphor for the cycle of life and death. Evergreen Cemetery. [2012]