Cemeteries are sure to be at the top of most lists of scary places this time of year, or for some, any time of year.

But take a closer look. Etched in stone throughout the county are some of the most beautiful monuments honoring residents' loved ones.

Tombstones aren't just nameplates of the dead. These days they're tributes to the people who lived, as intricate as those remaining behind could want.

JUDY RAISLEY, owner of the Edward L. Raisley Funeral Home in Prospect, has been selling stones for about 10 years. She's noticed a change in the way families select their grave markers."(They're) doing a lot of personalization on the stones," Raisley said. "(They're) putting on little sayings or something that reminds them of the person. (They're) just really putting a lot of information on there rather than just date of birth and date of death, which is what older people used to do."

A big reason for this trend, Raisley said, is that more and more people are trying to trace their own family roots. When they go to search for deceased relatives, the old basic stones aren't supplying much historical information. These same people are trying to make it easier for their future relations to connect with them."I speak to a lot of these genealogy groups," she said, "and they get to telling me that they want as much information on a tombstone or marker as we can possibly put on. They like wedding dates. They like maiden names of the women. They like indication of nicknames, anything that when in 30 to 40 years they're trying to identify that person, they can say definitely, 'This was our aunt or great-aunt.' "

AT C.K. STECKMAN Memorials in Renfrew, co-owner Kip Steckman is one of Butler County's tombstone artists. He calls himself a member of a dying breed because he's one of very few people he knows who actually create the entire tombstone from the ground up.He said the choices in tombstone artwork today are much more elaborate than they were just 15 years ago, and the reason is the advancement of available technology.Starting with a piece of granite, sliced to size with a diamond saw, Steckman likened the next step in preparing the stone to how an auto body worker might sand down a car when preparing it for painting. "You start with a heavy grit and work down to your lighter grit," he said. "(You) polish the whole piece of granite."Polish seals the stone. Take off small pieces of the polish and it reveals the light stone (underneath)."That's how much lettering is done.

Etching is a way of removing dots of the polish, thus opening the pores of the polished stone. The dots are made with a special diamond-tipped drummel tool.Except for the diamond tip, it's a tool much like one a tattoo artist might use. The dotting process reveals the natural lighter color of the stone, allowing for a permanent picture in the top layer of the stone.The picture can remain light, revealing the natural color of the stone, or special litho chrome paint can be used to stain the newly opened pores, essentially painting the picture.Pictures can also be cut in with a laser tool."(That) real detailed (etched) stuff needs to be done on dark granite or it won't show up," Steckman said.

MIKE AARON, owner of Clarion Monuments in Clarion, confirmed Raisley's observation about the trend in personalizing monuments.Funeral homes like Raisley's, as well as Buzzard, Steighner and Thompson-Miller, get stones from him.With technological advances, he sees that personalization isn't found just in the information etched into the stone. Many families have begun to memorialize their loved ones by making their grave markers a tribute to the person's life."A monument is not an indication that somebody died," he said. "It's an indication that somebody lived."The day of getting what mom and dad got, the 3-foot slant gray granite (has passed). You have many more choices."

The shape of the stone, the polish pattern, the depth of the lettering, and the color, type and grade of stone used are all taken into account when selecting the look of a tombstone. Pictures can be permanently put into the stone using either a laser technique or the drummel tool.According to Aaron, most people can't differentiate between the two processes with the naked eye. The biggest difference would be that genealogists or people climbing their family tree would not be able to get a rubbing from the lasered application.Sandblast carving is another kind of engraving. It's the traditional deep carving into the granite like on grandma or grandpa's stone. It can be done on any type of stone.

Besides all the choices people have in designing their memorials, price is a concern as well, and the more technology involved in the process, the higher the price. Double tombstones can range from $900 to $1,900 and beyond, Steckman said.Raisley said she realizes the myriad of options can overwhelm people, even if they select a stone when they're not emotionally fraught.She often urges families to take their time before making their final stone selection. "Once it's etched in stone, it's yours," she said. "You have to live with it. If you're not happy, that can be traumatic."