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Show 1 -Mil OIL p 1 They also have done other monuments including a war memorial in Cache Valley and another war memorial in Bountiful Bounti-ful that will be unveiled at a ceremony cere-mony on Nov. 1 1 . "My father and his father also did a lot of work on the "This is the Place" monument," monu-ment," said Robert. The Botts plan to stay in the business as long as they are able. "My dad is 68 years old and he still puts in a lot of time here. His dad worked until he was in the grave and I guess we will too," said Robert. He pointed out three stones in the yard that each of the brothers . had already chosen to be their own. "All we need to do now is get them carved, and since we're the best in the country," he joked, "it wouldn't be right to have anyone any-one else do it." He said he hopes they won't have the pertinent information in-formation to finish the stones for a long time. In the meantime, each of the brothers is raising a fifth generation of Botts to take over the business in the future. JL-rl JL. Jl , II I. J.l n Ik-JL jsL-ff who's jm p 3a m MINDING Mjg g Jf STORE MHjg David and Roger hoist stone in preparation for carving. Carving headstones a 'dying5 art V 'f- Of Roger, David and Robert put the finishing touches on a stone that has just been 'set'. (j kg? Roger, David and Robert put the finishing touches on a stone that has just been 'set'. f" By JUDY JENSEN Graveyards enshrouded by fog, rattling skeletons and howling ghosts are some of the eerie, mysterious visions that come to mind when the word headstone is mentioned. But, there is no mystery mys-tery surrounding the success of the Bountiful Memorial Arts business. busi-ness. Brothers Robert, Roger and David Bott are co-owners of the long standing business. The art of stone carving has been passed down through the Bott family for four generations. Ralph Bott, father of the current cur-rent owners, opened the business at its present location over 35 years ago. He learned the trade of stone carving from his father Joseph, who learned it from his father before him. Although at 68 years of age, Ralph has retired, according to Robert he still comes in all of the time to help with the work. The four Botts have over 100 years of experience in the art of stone carving. Robert explained that his grandfather worked in a stone quarry in Brigham City where granite gra-nite stones for the Salt Lake Mormon Mor-mon Temple were cut. Granite is the stone most often used by the Botts. Although marble mar-ble is a much softer stone and easier to work with, Robert explained ex-plained that it does not hold up over the years. Many of the stones that can no longer be read were carved from marble. Many laborious tasks must be completed to shape a rough stone into a finished product. It must first be cut and polished and then the carving is painstakingly done by hand with a chisel and sandblasting. sand-blasting. "Dad told us we wouldn't get rich in this business," busi-ness," laughed Robert, "but, even though it's hard work, we love it." Headstones are a very individual indi-vidual thing. Many people want specific designs and wording on the stones. A recently completed stone don by Robert, features a ' bull and a saddle, representing the interests of the deceased. He said they get a lot of requests for spe cial sayings and some people are able to find humor even in the worst of situations. One stone they now have waiting for delivery, deliv-ery, reads at the bottom, "I told you I was sick." Robert, who does most of the layout and sculpturing, said a steady hand and excellent eyesight are two essentials for a good carver. He is most proud of his temple design. "It is very deeply carved and takes a lot of time to complete," he said. He j estimated that on an average I stone it takes 10 hours to do the j art work and cutting. David does a ; great deal of the sandblasting and I Roger, the youngest brother, ! "does all of the hard work," 1 joked Robert. The Botts are famous for more I than their outstanding head-. head-. stones. They were recently commissioned com-missioned to do the Wilburg Mine Memorial. The stone weighed over 5,000 pounds and was carved from black granite. "They chose Royal Black Granite that comes out of Canada," said Robert. "They wanted it to look like coal," he explained. The Bott's were commissioned com-missioned to carve the Wilburg Mine Memorial. The black granite stone weighed 5,000 pounds. com- Wpilf ' f I a the J Jlftliti, Y h ' rcrial. ' a-vWn f stone ' ( a S V mds. V jj ' Robert etches the letters onto the stone. The first step in the carving process. |