ROCKS FOR AGES

LAZY MOUNTAIN — You may not know David and Brenda Nodine, but they make some of the most important memories for Valley families.

As owners of Mat-Su Memorials, the Nodines are charged with creating the final monuments and headstones for the deceased. From small granite pavers with a simple name and dates to elaborate headstones — even a mausoleum — David Nodine builds his work on a rock-solid foundation.

“We use mostly granite,” he said. “It used to be all marble, but in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the technology got so good that they could do (monuments) in the harder material, which is granite. Marble just doesn’t wear well in the weather.”

Ron Nodine started the business in 1997 and David took it over from his brother five years ago. Using an impressive array of polishers and stone cutting tools, he expertly etches intricate designs and names intended to last forever.

“I’ve always enjoyed rocks,” he said. “I was in manufacturing for 28 years and just got tired of the impersonal rush, rush, get-it-out-the-door (pace), and there was nothing personal about it.”

Now, the couple takes pride in providing a valuable service to families, and it’s a responsibility they don’t take lightly.

“What we do is very important, very,” Brenda said, adding there’s no room for mistakes on a headstone. “We’ve almost had some mistakes — almost. You have to really verify information people give you. You talk with the families, look at the obituaries.”

What many don’t realize about the monument business is how economical or extravagant it can be, David said. A simple piece of granite to place flush to the ground with a name and dates of birth and death can go for about $125.

From there, “The sky’s the limit,” he said. “Brandon Lee’s monument, Bruce Lee’s son, was $34,000. One of my friends did his.”

That’s a little out of his price range, however.

“The most expensive I’ve done is $5,600, and you get a lot for that,” he said. “But you can get a simple headstone or a whole mausoleum.”

Although there’s nothing new about using granite, there have been many technological advances in making markers. For example, instead of placing a porcelain photograph into a headstone, it’s possible to insert an electronic photo screen that changes photos.

“The Japanese started that,” David said of the electronic components. “They mourned their loved ones with that technology.”

But the traditional method is also time-tested, he said. “What we use is a porcelain portrait, using natural oxides baked in the oven to get the colors. Then we set it into a pocket on the stone.”

Those on a really tight budget or wanting a more do-it-yourself approach can bring a piece of granite countertop to be engraved, David said.

Aside from the traditional gray and black granite, there are more than 1,200 colors that can be added to any piece, he said. For example, he’s creating a vivid Mickey Mouse for a child’s headstone.

Requests to make markers for pets is also popular, Brenda said.

“We’ve done Barney the dog and Duke the horse and some other pets,” she said.

From his oldest subject — 104 years old — to the youngest — eight hours — David Nodine said the work sometimes can be heartbreaking, but also an honor.

One of the most memorable monuments he’s created was for a 14-year-old boy, David said.

“He designed his own monument before he died,” he said. “It had a skull and crossbones, sayings, pictures. He got that from looking at headstones from the 15th, 16th, 17th centuries, because that was pretty common then to put bones around the border.”

One of the sayings he chose for his headstone, Brenda recalled, is “live dangerously.”

Then there was the stone for “a grumpy old man,” David said. Although the man deep down was kind, “He wanted to tell everybody, basically, to ‘just screw off.’ We couldn’t put that on there, so we put a fish coming out of the water going for a lure, and it says, ‘bite me.’ So, people will think he’s a good fisherman, but that’s not exactly (the message) he wanted to give.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.