They were dividing up his late brother’s belongings when Lou Rheims agreed to one of those family compromises that always seems more reasonable in the moment.
Long story short, Rheims really wanted his brother’s fancy Victorian-era women’s boots but he also had to take the stolen tombstone, a relative insisted.
“They were the kind with about 40 eyelets up each side,” he said of the footwear. “In order for me to get the boots, I had to take the headstone.”
Somewhere along the way, someone built a wooden stand for the headmarker. Rheims put it on the front porch next to the flower pots and has lived with its words each time he walks by — George Thomas Fairall, born Oct. 2, 1851, died July 4, 1858.
Log in to leave a comment. Sign In / Sign Up