Memorialization
Losing a loved one is a very difficult thing. It is important to honor their memory. Choosing the right memorialization marker for their grave is a key component of this, but other factors, particularly the service, make a difference as well. You can hold your loved one's funeral at our Norwalk, CT cemetery for a graveside service that will feel unique, personal, and all the more special. When it comes to their final resting place, choose from a cremation burial, above ground burial, mausoleum, or columbarium. With Riverside Cemetery Association, you have so many options for customizing your loved one's final sendoff that there can be no doubt you will be able to honor their memory in just the way you would hope to.
Whether you are planning your family's grave memorialization stone through our vendor, or a monument vendor of your choice, some important points are to be kept in mind as we maintain the honor and beauty of the cemetery for all.
Some restrictions - our 30 sections of the cemetery have uniform restrictions as to the type of memorialization that can be placed therein. Overall, only granite, marble, some slate and stone are allowed. The cemetery or funeral home can provide, for a small fee, a temporary name marker that will be removed after 6 months. Typically they do not last and are subject to damage easily. Please keep in mind that these are called "temporary" for a reason and are meant only for the duration while waiting for a monument's or stone's arrival. Contact us with any questions or to learn about our graveside services or cremation burials.
Hand-made markers or wooden crosses are not permitted even if intended temporarily.
Marker Stones - These are placed at the foot of an individual grave. They can accommodate up to two sets of names/dates when appropriate. They are set flat and flush with the ground (with some exceptions in larger plots) .
Slant Stones - These are often placed on companion (double) grave lots and certain sections of our cemetery require only this style.
Upright Stones - When the section allows, or if certain areas of a section allows, an upright stone can be placed on grave.
Space Limitations - A single grave space is 8' x 3.5' and any memorialization must remain within a 12" area (at the foot for Marker Stones and at the head for Upright/Slant Stones) . A Double Grave space is 10' x 7' which allows a 2-foot space at the head for placement of a monument so that later burials will not interfere with the stone placement. All stone placement and decor must remain within those parameters. Four and Six grave plots allow for a 2-foot or 4-foot area either at the center or at the head for monument placement at the family's discretion.
Foundations - All above ground monuments are required to have a foundation which purpose is in most cases to prevent shifting or tilting and to distribute the weight. A foundation is not a guarantee but a preventative step, as some unforeseen earth movement can occur. A foundation, unlike the monument base, is positioned underground and made of concrete. The foundation is to be provided by Riverside Cemetery only (which is usual policy for most cemeteries). Our fee is according to the size of the monument base and is approximately $1.00 per square inch (an estimate). This fee is taxable and subject to annual review.
Installation - Monument installation is often done by the monument vendor if they are regionally or locally distanced. Such monument companies are to provide documentation of their foundation order as well as a certificate of liability insurance naming Riverside Cemetery and must carry out their installation during Riverside's week day business hours. An information sheet is available to all monument companies which can be faxed, emailed or mailed. Riverside Cemetery can provide installation for a taxable fee: $50 for markers and $100 for every 12" height of an upright or slant monument. These fees are subject to annual review.
Veteran's Markers - Forms are available at the Cemetery office for obtaining a Veteran's Administration Marker and we can help you complete the necessary papers. The style (upright or flat marker) must abide by the cemetery section where it will be located.
