Jorge’s Bronze Cemetery Marker
Donation protected
Hey everyone. I’m Julie (Barron) Ayala, Jorge Ayala’s wife. When Jorge passed in August of 2016, as with most unexpected funerals I imagine, figuring out who pays for what expenses was all very uncertain and last minute. Unfortunately, the bronze nameplate (Instead of the more familiar, less expensive, upright, granite engraved stone heads which, in keeping with the uniform and well kept appearance of Lexington Cemetery are not allowed in the particular area where Jorge is buried) went left unordered and therefore, unpaid.
I know that many of you were probably not even aware of this and even if you were, the task at hand is certainly one that requires a great deal of tact and delicacy in respecting and including all of Jorge’s loved ones. Personally, when I would think about this issue in times past, I wasn’t sure where to even start for one, and I would ask myself questions like, “am I the right person to be handling this?” Or, “will any of Jorges’s other loved ones be offended or feel excluded if I alone, try to handle this”, or “how do I even go about accomplishing this equally and fairly with the rest of the family”.
To that end, and after speaking to or messaging all of Jorge’s siblings at least, using the GoFundMe platform seemed like a perfect solution. As I have never created a GoFundMe account, I don’t yet know exactly how I go about making everyone a “team member” but I was given the option to proceed as the sole coordinator or alternatively, “as a team”. In effort to further the campaign in transparency and equality, I chose the latter. As soon as I know any more details about accessing this page as a team member, I will post that info here and/or Instagram and Facebook.
If anyone has any questions or feedback on that or any other relevant aspect, please feel free to reach out to me.
Concerning the total cost of the marker (side note: I don’t love that word “marker”. It seems so insignificant and undervalued when it’s supposed to be something of great tribute to such an amazing person but I don’t know what else to call it. Memorial plaque, perhaps?) Concerning the cost of Jorge’s memorial plaque: I’ve spoken with three different monument companies that work with Lexington Cemetery. There are some minor differences in pricing and a few different options for the base of the marker but the average total cost looks like about $2000.00 give or take a couple hundred dollars.
Of the three people I spoke to at the different monument companies, the owner Steve Yokum, of Georgetown Monument (502-863-9406) also recommended to me by an official at Lexington Cemetery, seemed to be the most personable and genuine in service. He was the only person I spoke to that offered to personally (using digital software) draw any custom symbol(s) included in the price, that we may choose to have on the plaque. The other places also offered up to three symbols plus lettering but they both said they would need pictures or something to go off of. Please pass along any ideas or suggestions for what symbol(s) everyone would like to see on the plaque.
As for any monetary deadlines, the only things to keep in mind here are (1) that it takes an average of 45 days to make the bronze plaque, once all decisions are finalized concerning the lettering and symbols chosen for it and (2) that here in Kentucky and specifically at Lexington Cemetery, the cement foundations for the markers are only poured during the months of March through November due to the cold winter climate and often frozen ground.
Once the plaque has been paid for in full, the cemetery will pour the foundation by the middle of the month and set the foundation by the end of the month. If I understand correctly, the foundation is made of concrete which starts out wet and must be poured then allowed to harden and dry before inserting the final granite base which the bronze plate will be bolted to. If for example, there were a donation deadline of September 15th, 2020, given the average 45 days to make the plaque, that would put the date of the final installation at October 30 right before the November cut off.
Having said that, I understand that many have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and may not be able to contribute much if anything right now. I would personally like to play this factor by ear and see what happens over the next 4 weeks or so before setting a final deadline of September 15th. Since that puts us right at the cut off date anyway, the option to further the campaign as long as need be, remains. Again, I’m open to suggestions/feedback here as well.
My plan is to use part of my personal donation to open a savings account specifically for this campaign within the next few days. Some of you have already mentioned the idea of any remaining funds from the campaign being left in an account for mine and Jorge’s son, Lenin. I think that’s a great idea and I would easily be able to transfer or change the name on the account as well as provide that information to anyone who needs it.
Thank you to everyone in advance. No matter how long it takes, or anyone’s contribution amount, I am hopeful that we can all come together in the love we share for Jorge to get this done.
I know that many of you were probably not even aware of this and even if you were, the task at hand is certainly one that requires a great deal of tact and delicacy in respecting and including all of Jorge’s loved ones. Personally, when I would think about this issue in times past, I wasn’t sure where to even start for one, and I would ask myself questions like, “am I the right person to be handling this?” Or, “will any of Jorges’s other loved ones be offended or feel excluded if I alone, try to handle this”, or “how do I even go about accomplishing this equally and fairly with the rest of the family”.
To that end, and after speaking to or messaging all of Jorge’s siblings at least, using the GoFundMe platform seemed like a perfect solution. As I have never created a GoFundMe account, I don’t yet know exactly how I go about making everyone a “team member” but I was given the option to proceed as the sole coordinator or alternatively, “as a team”. In effort to further the campaign in transparency and equality, I chose the latter. As soon as I know any more details about accessing this page as a team member, I will post that info here and/or Instagram and Facebook.
If anyone has any questions or feedback on that or any other relevant aspect, please feel free to reach out to me.
Concerning the total cost of the marker (side note: I don’t love that word “marker”. It seems so insignificant and undervalued when it’s supposed to be something of great tribute to such an amazing person but I don’t know what else to call it. Memorial plaque, perhaps?) Concerning the cost of Jorge’s memorial plaque: I’ve spoken with three different monument companies that work with Lexington Cemetery. There are some minor differences in pricing and a few different options for the base of the marker but the average total cost looks like about $2000.00 give or take a couple hundred dollars.
Of the three people I spoke to at the different monument companies, the owner Steve Yokum, of Georgetown Monument (502-863-9406) also recommended to me by an official at Lexington Cemetery, seemed to be the most personable and genuine in service. He was the only person I spoke to that offered to personally (using digital software) draw any custom symbol(s) included in the price, that we may choose to have on the plaque. The other places also offered up to three symbols plus lettering but they both said they would need pictures or something to go off of. Please pass along any ideas or suggestions for what symbol(s) everyone would like to see on the plaque.
As for any monetary deadlines, the only things to keep in mind here are (1) that it takes an average of 45 days to make the bronze plaque, once all decisions are finalized concerning the lettering and symbols chosen for it and (2) that here in Kentucky and specifically at Lexington Cemetery, the cement foundations for the markers are only poured during the months of March through November due to the cold winter climate and often frozen ground.
Once the plaque has been paid for in full, the cemetery will pour the foundation by the middle of the month and set the foundation by the end of the month. If I understand correctly, the foundation is made of concrete which starts out wet and must be poured then allowed to harden and dry before inserting the final granite base which the bronze plate will be bolted to. If for example, there were a donation deadline of September 15th, 2020, given the average 45 days to make the plaque, that would put the date of the final installation at October 30 right before the November cut off.
Having said that, I understand that many have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and may not be able to contribute much if anything right now. I would personally like to play this factor by ear and see what happens over the next 4 weeks or so before setting a final deadline of September 15th. Since that puts us right at the cut off date anyway, the option to further the campaign as long as need be, remains. Again, I’m open to suggestions/feedback here as well.
My plan is to use part of my personal donation to open a savings account specifically for this campaign within the next few days. Some of you have already mentioned the idea of any remaining funds from the campaign being left in an account for mine and Jorge’s son, Lenin. I think that’s a great idea and I would easily be able to transfer or change the name on the account as well as provide that information to anyone who needs it.
Thank you to everyone in advance. No matter how long it takes, or anyone’s contribution amount, I am hopeful that we can all come together in the love we share for Jorge to get this done.
Organizer
Julie Barron
Organizer
Burnside, KY