A Legacy in Stone

Twenty-five years ago Pam and her husband, Steve, began selling headstones out of their home. Business boomed, they moved to an actual office and in 2000 they bought Idaho Falls Monument and changed the name to Hunters/Idaho Falls Monument. Today they are in partnership with Pam’s siblings as part of a corporation called Memorial Monuments and Vaults. It is a family business and will continue with the second generation, starting with their son, Steve Jr.

The Hunters believe a name should be the first thing you see on a headstone because it’s important for people to know where we come from. “It is something that is going to be there a long time,” says Pam. Headstones often include marriage dates, children’s names and even grandchildren’s names.

The Hunters spend a lot of time with a family to make sure they get what they are looking for, and they even make house calls. “We are here when they are ready,” says Steve.

When a family first walks through the door at the business, the Hunters guide them to create a headstone that tells a story and represents the person’s life. If the fam­ily has a drawing or wants a picture on the headstone, Hunters/Idaho Falls Monument will actually hand draw the art on paper, then recreate it in a computer program. Then the artwork is sent to a plotter that makes a stencil of the artwork. The stencil is then placed on the stone and the sand­blasting is done by hand.

There is no limit to what the Hunters can create. “We can shape a stone anyway a family wants it,” says Steve. They have pre­sented images on headstones from a horse to a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

While cemeteries have regulations about headstones, the Hunters can help a family meet those regulations. The Hunters find out what those regulations are so the family doesn’t need to worry.

The Hunter’s joy comes from seeing that the family is pleased with the finished prod­uct. “As long as my customers are happy, I will be happy,” says Pam.