I will never forget the first memorial I designed. It was for a beautiful young lady who died in a
tragic traffic accident, and I was fortunate to spend a couple of hours with her parents hearing all
about her. Before I left their home, her mother handed a picture of her to me saying, “I want you
to remember who you are working for.” I spent a week developing ideas for a headstone until I
arrived at a custom design that I felt was beautiful and honored this wonderful life. I had never
been as nervous as when I showed the design to her parents; this was a custom monument for
their daughter, who meant the world to them, and it had to be right. I pulled back the cover and
as a tear filled her eye, Mom looked at Dad and said, “It is perfect.” That was nearly three
decades ago, and her picture is still on my desk. I never forget for whom I am working.
West Memorials was born after I spent eight years working for a monument company owned by
a large cemetery conglomerate. I designed a creative, unique headstone for a young boy but
after showing it to my boss, I was told to quit spending so much time with families and get my
volume up. I was heartbroken to hear this, and that is when I decided to do away with large
corporations and go out on my own.
In 2001 my amazing wife, Missy, joined me in starting our own memorial company. Missy’s skill
as an artist and vision for the future of the internet shaped and grew our monument company
into the country’s leading memorialists. Her passion for memorial art and love for her clients is
truly inspirational. I am grateful that I get to share an office with her everyday.
We realize that while most local monument dealers are run by wonderful people, they are rarely
trained or equipped to create custom headstones. We created our website so that no matter
what state you live in, you would have access anywhere in the country to an award-winning
memorial designer. In our more than 20 years, we have placed memorials in every state and
four continents. Thousands of families have trusted us to create a beautiful work of art for
someone they love.
We have a talented team of professionals that are dedicated to their craft. I love getting
compliments from clients telling me how special our team made them feel. We all work together
for you, but Missy and I feel it is important that your search for a custom headstone starts with
us. It is usually one of us that answers the phone and replies to your email.
Thank you for taking the time to find out a little about us. We have great respect for the care
you are taking in your search for a special memorial. We are grateful that we are being
considered to help.
Take care,
Paul
