Memorials for Texas and Oklahoma families.
Granite and marble, cut and engraved to your family's design, then delivered and set by our own crews. Fourth generation, family owned, since 1957.
A companion monument, set on its foundation
There is no hurry, and nothing you need to know yet.
Most families come to us having never done this before. That is usual. Bring the cemetery name if you have it, and whatever you remember about the person. We will take it from there.
Upright, slant, bevel, flat and cremation memorials.
All in granite, marble and bronze, and all designed with you before anything is cut. If you want a shape nobody else has, we cut that too.
No two of these are the same.
Photographed where they stand, in cemeteries across Texas and Oklahoma.
Ninety percent of what we sell is already in our warehouse.
That is the reason we can move quickly when a family needs us to. Because the granite is already here, a standard memorial takes sixty to ninety days from your approval, through production, to installation.
A custom monument in a standard colour we do not stock can take ninety to a hundred and twenty days. Custom sculptured work, and the premium colours, take six to nine months. We will tell you which one yours is at the start, not at the end.
We have been producing our own laser designed monuments since 2004.
A photograph, cut into the stone itself.
Before a lasered monument is made, the image is designed in our own program. It is slow, careful work. Once our artists have built the image, we can reproduce it exactly, for as many stones as a family needs.
Premium Black produces the cleanest laser photographs and designs you can find. Catseye Red and Dark Cloud carry laser artwork very nicely, though we do not recommend them for photographs.
Laser puts a break in the polish and exposes the raw stone beneath. Unless the monument loses its polish or is re-polished, the design will last for many years to come.
Three steps, and we carry the difficult parts.
Gather your family and stories
Bring your people and everything you remember. The details that seem small are usually the ones that end up on the stone.
Meet with a designer
Bring those stories to our memorial designers and watch them come to life. Every memorial comes with a proof for your approval before anything is cut.
We engrave and install
After your approval we order the precise granite and begin engraving on arrival. Then we deliver to the cemetery and set it ourselves. Installation is included in the price.
The same family, in the same town, since 1957.
Bought from Elder Lynn Dalton in 1957 and held by the Gardner family ever since. Many of our craftsmen are the children and grandchildren of the craftsmen who came before them.
- 1957
Bob Riley, Kenneth Gardner and Melvin Henkes buy the business from Elder Lynn Dalton.
- 1980
Ken Gardner becomes sole owner of the company.
- 1982
His son Bob joins him, and the company begins expanding to retail locations and funeral homes across Texas and Oklahoma.
- 2003
Riley F. Gardner returns to Hamilton, bringing new technology, access to granite from around the world, and more ways for agents to design directly with families.
- 2013
Jon Lengefeld, who opened and ran Central Texas Memorial, rejoins the family business as Sales Manager.
- Today
Owned and run by Robert W. Gardner and his son, Riley F. Gardner. The fourth generation of the family in Hamilton.
We stay responsible for ten years.
Our foundation work is guaranteed for ten years. If the monument becomes unlevel at any time within those ten years, we come back out and re-level it at no charge.
We are responsible for your monument from first contact up to ten years from the time of purchase, including if it is damaged in transit or while being installed. That is our problem to solve, not yours.
All installation of new monuments is included in our pricing. We have five installation crews working across Texas and Oklahoma.
Granite does not deteriorate with time.
It is the hardest and most durable material used for memorials. Marble can be used, and it is beautiful, but it is softer and will pick up staining and wear faster. These are the colours we work in.
The things nobody tells you.
How long will it take?
Ninety percent of the monuments we sell are kept in stock in our large warehouse, and those take sixty to ninety days from approval, to production, to installation.
Some custom monuments in standard non-premium colours which are not in stock could take up to ninety to a hundred and twenty days. Custom sculptured monuments, and custom premium colours, take six to nine months from order to installation.
How long should we wait for the grave to settle?
This is not normally a problem. Our standard order takes between sixty and ninety days to complete from approval to installation, which normally allows enough time.
If the monument becomes unlevel at any time within ten years, we will come out and re-level it at no charge.
How much does it cost to install a monument?
All installation of new monuments is included in our pricing, and our foundation work is guaranteed for ten years. We have five installation crews who set our families' monuments throughout Texas and Oklahoma.
Our family has a design that has been repeated over the years. Can you match it?
Yes. Our artists are skilled in monument duplication and have the tools and the experience to reproduce your design. Once it has been duplicated we can replicate it for years to come.
What is the best material to memorialise with?
Granite is the hardest and most durable product used for memorials, and it does not deteriorate with time. Other materials such as marble can be used, but marble is softer and can pick up stain and wear faster than granite.
Do families memorialise when the person has been cremated?
We have sold many cremation monuments to families over the past few years. We believe it matters to memorialise, because it gives family and friends a place to go.
It has been shown to help families with closure after a loss, and it lets future generations find their way back to information about their own ancestors.
What if the monument is damaged in transit or while being installed?
Riley-Gardner Memorial is responsible for your monument from first contact up to ten years from the time of purchase. We pride ourselves on taking care of our families and our customers.
Where are you located?
We have thirteen outlet locations, and we are honoured to be represented by one hundred and fifty funeral homes throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Call the main office and we will tell you which one is nearest you.
Thirteen locations, and a hundred and fifty funeral homes.
There is almost certainly someone near you. If your town is not listed here, call the main office and we will point you to your nearest representative.
These are our staffed outlets. We are also represented by one hundred and fifty funeral homes across Texas and Oklahoma, so if it is easier to sit down with your funeral director, they can design the memorial with you and we will make it.
Ask us anything, including the price.
What a memorial costs depends on its size, the granite you choose, and how much carving and etching it carries. Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will give you a real figure. Installation is already in it.
Or come and stand in front of the stones. That is what the locations are for, and it is easier than choosing from a screen.
Main office, Hamilton
900 N Rice Street, Suite B, Hamilton, TX 76531
Toll free 800.722.8581
Office 254.386.8951
webinfo@rileygardnermemorial.com