Art In Stone Monuments

Jun 2023

A little over a year ago I reached out to Art in Stone with a very sad request... to create a head stone for my amazing late husband. It's an incredibly tough project, as many I am sure would agree, to create the very last thing for your loved one.... I was completely lost... I had no idea where to start, what to say, how to express my feelings of this immeasurable loss, sadness, grief but also to share the love of life my husband possessed??? How do you do that? How? Where does it start and do you end??? All of these, in my head , and I was completely lost ...until I met Michael! He is a saint, really. Professional, smart, kind, creative, sensitive with an amazing sense of of people's needs and wants. He has truly created the most unique and beautiful combination of my husband's past, our life together, our dreams for the future... all in one incredibly beautiful piece... Definitely recommend reaching out to the Art in Stone and asking for Michael and if he's available- you will be in the BEST hands

Oct 2021

My husband's death last November was unexpected and not a good death. I wanted his grave and headstone to reflect who he was as a person, not just his name and dates of life. He is buried across the street from Art and Stone, and about seven months later, I wandered in to look around and face the challenge of doing just that. Mr Rader senior was there and he spent a good hour with me designing a traditional headstone for both my husband and me. I left with an outline and he with a deposit. Until I got it out to plan my husband's headstone unveiling ceremony, I thought I liked it, but wanted to make some changes. So I went back and met with Michael Rader. Michael easily engaged in two weeks of daily phone calls and e-mails going back and forth with me about what was possible with what I wanted. We finally agreed, and then something I did not know was possible was made possible when I went back in to finalize! My husband has an adult child with exceptional needs, Michael was able to superimpose artwork she made when he father died on the back of the headstone with a special message for her father. HAD MICHAEL NOT BEEN GENUINELY INTERESTED IN MY OBJECTIVE AND MY FAMILY, THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Yesterday at the headstone unveiling, everyone, including the Rabbi were taken aback by how personal, meaningful and UNIQUE the headstone was. Michael's craftsmanship, expertise, artistry and compassion are all on display forever at my husband's grave and I will always smile and laugh at the patience and restraint required of him in doing everything he could to make me and my family happy.

Mar 2021

Of course, the task of having a memorial headstone or grave marker is something we don't ever want on our responsibility list. Sadly, it's still a must. Having experienced numerous frustrations with the staff, the lack of creative product and the cost at the cemetery where my husband had been buried, I happened upon "Art in Stone". I was immediately impressed with the quality and design integrity of the work displayed (at least on their outdoor grounds as they were closed when I initially drove by). On my subsequent visit, I was treated as a valued client. Michael Rader was attentive, informative, and direct. As an artist, I was very impressed with the work displayed in their interior showroom. The senior Rader is an accomplished artist and his professionalism was reflected in the work displayed. While we had a few administrative challenges due to Covid, Michael presented me with a beautiful version of what I wanted, was very receptive to my suggestions and came up with a design that exceeded my expectations. They took care of all the details; cleaning the site, removing the existing marker and installing the much improved version. While it was a sad task, Art in Stone made it a worthwhile endeavor.