Patrick J. Martin
PCS Life Member/Illini Chapter President
Yesterday, July 11, 2014, I was able to realize one of my life's ambitions. Okay, I know and admit that my ambitions tend to be different from the average person's, but one of mine was to plan for my final wishes. A big part of that involved a cemetery plot and marker. After a brief search through a couple different cemeteries and talking to a couple cemetery directors who didn't seem to understand someone of my youth having definite ideas as to what I did and did not want for my eternity, a plot was acquired at Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery in December 2012. Those of you who were on the Forest Home tour as part of the 2013 International Meet may remember me mentioning at one point that we had driven past my grave!
Design work with the Peter Troost Monument Company began almost immediately after the plot was purchased. As someone who has always enjoyed visiting cemeteries and just looking around, I knew I wanted a traditionally inspired marker, but with my own attention-grabbing feature. I also wanted to promote both my interests in life as well as an appropriate cemetery symbol. I believe I successfully hit on both.
Original plan was for the monument to be in place in time for last year's PCS tour through the cemetery. Obviously that didn't happen. Well it may be eleven months late, but yesterday saw the installation of my monument. Considering I'll eventually be spending a lot more time lying under it then I'll ever spend looking at it, I guess an extra eleven months isn't a big deal!
If anyone's ever in Milwaukee and would like to see this for themselves, visit Forest Home Cemetery and go to section 37. You can't miss section 37, as that's the same section as the enormous Blatz family mausoleum.
Design work with the Peter Troost Monument Company began almost immediately after the plot was purchased. As someone who has always enjoyed visiting cemeteries and just looking around, I knew I wanted a traditionally inspired marker, but with my own attention-grabbing feature. I also wanted to promote both my interests in life as well as an appropriate cemetery symbol. I believe I successfully hit on both.
Original plan was for the monument to be in place in time for last year's PCS tour through the cemetery. Obviously that didn't happen. Well it may be eleven months late, but yesterday saw the installation of my monument. Considering I'll eventually be spending a lot more time lying under it then I'll ever spend looking at it, I guess an extra eleven months isn't a big deal!
If anyone's ever in Milwaukee and would like to see this for themselves, visit Forest Home Cemetery and go to section 37. You can't miss section 37, as that's the same section as the enormous Blatz family mausoleum.