We caught up with the brilliant and insightful C. Star Looney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

C. Star, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Respects Gravestone Conservators was created by accident. One day, my business partner, Cat Burnett and I, were on an adventure, and we took a wrong turn. We ended up pulling a U-turn through a local cemetery (sorry everyone) and noticed there were vast differences among the headstones. Some were shining and decorated, while others were barely legible through thick layers of moss and neglect. It got us wondering, how many individuals had been forgotten, what happened to their families, and what we could do to help preserve their history. What kind of untold stories hid behind these stones? Who were these individuals?

Fascinated and inspired, we set up a meeting with a local funeral home director to find out more about how to get our foot into the gravestone cleaning business. We were instructed to seek information through the internet and to connect with the local cemetery to see how these things are handled in our area. We learned that families are individually responsible for the maintenance themselves. As those family members age and pass on, sites go untouched, sometimes for many years. We decided to make it our mission to offer this cleaning service to families who want to keep their loved ones legacy alive.

Cat and I invested in eco-friendly cleaning products and sustainable equipment, and started volunteering our services to loved ones in order to experiment and find out if this is a path was worth taking. What we discovered was a shared passion for the process of revitalizing such important artifacts and a deep satisfaction in the cleaning process itself. With that under our belts, we began a grass roots advertising campaign and applied for out LLC.

C. Star, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Respects is an anagram for Restoration, Exfoliation, Specialization, Preservation, Eco-friendly, Caregiving Tombstone Services, and that sums up a lot of what we do. Tombstones are susceptible to a variety of environmental factors that can cause discoloration, erosion, moss and lichen growth, and general wear and tear. Our job is to conquer these obstacles, restore the stones to their former glory, and add any decorative elements that the clients may want. (We also send out of state photos.) We are proud of the service we provide, and enjoy the connections we continue to make.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Yes actually! One story for instance involved a gravestone that was stained by some type of oil. Sometimes loved ones like to light candles, burn oils or incense while visiting, and accidents may happen. The cemetery maintenance director stated that they tried a series of remedies that produced no success and was concerned that they may have to dig up the stone and send it back to the manufacturer. That’s when we offered our services. It took us 2 weeks and several applications. We were actually worried we weren’t going to be able to pull it off, but with some patience and elbow grease we were able to lift the stain from the stone!!!!! This experience gave us a sense of compliment and the confidence to continue with our services.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something we had to unlearn was how we approached people about this subject. We are taught that death is taboo and sometimes makes people uncomfortable. In actuality, death is a very normal part of life. Not only is it inevitable, but it’s universal. One question my business partner likes to asks is, “Do you know any dead people?” It often elicits a smile or an awkward laugh, but the fact is… they do! And they care about them. They want their legacy persevered for future generations to be able to visit. That’s why we offer our Respects, because the dead deserve to be cared for and talked about.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Respects Gravestone Constervators
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
credit to the Looney family