GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Gravestones typically vary in size, but one in Grand Rapids is larger than expected - 6 feet tall and close to six tons.
Hobby photographer, Scott Ward has the hobby of capturing unique gravestones and sharing the historical context.
“You have actors and actresses, senators. furniture makers, every imaginable lumberman. You know, the things that made West Michigan what it is now, it’s all represented here,” emphasized Ward.
His latest object in the lens, he describes as his favorite. A 6-ton boulder fashioned a gravestone, carved with the words “Kendall” all over it.
“Driving around, we just happen to see this sitting here, then it intrigued me,” explained Scott Ward. That’s where Scott, got his camera and snapped a pic.
“I mean, it's just like, amazing,” explained Ward.
The gravestone in question is David Wolcott Kendall’s. One of Grand Rapid’s most iconic furniture pioneers.
“He had procured that stone long before he passed away,” explained Gayle DeBruyn, a professor at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.
The carvings across the boulder, all hold significance to Kendall. “He really wanted to show his personal journey, his Celtic roots, through his contributions,” said DeBruyn.
A wood carver turned furniture pioneer, David W. Kendall inspired West Michigan’s first College of Art and Design. “He's very interested in mentoring the next generation of furniture designers, he and his second wife, Helen.”
So, the next time you pass by Oakhill Cemetery, check out David’s Gravestone. He’ll give you a “thumbs up,” like he has been, for over 110 years.
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