Gravestones are not typically viewed for their design innovation and appeal. They may evoke a sense of solemn reverence, inspire an interest in the life and times of the person being remembered or provoke a fascination in the passing of time and our mortality. They may even be a Wonder of the World, as the Egyptian Great Pyramid of Giza is. But in my favorite American cemetery you will find three examples of stunningly contemporary, unique personal headstones.

The gravestone above is for Walter Paepcke and is to be found marking his grave in Aspen, Colorado. Paepcke, a wealthy Chicago industrialist, is regarded by many as the founder of contemporary Aspen, including the Aspen Institute, Aspen Ski School and Aspen Music Festival and School. Among his most notable friends was acclaimed Bauhaus creative, Herbert Bayer. One of Bayer’s most visible contributions to Aspen was the design of the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Meadows Resort. As well as the building’s architecture, which evinces Bauhaus design principles, the grounds feature earthworks that add to the Bauhaus environment.

More memorable for me, however, are the grave marker designs that Bayer conceived for Walter Paepcke’s monolith, Bayer’s daughter, Julia’s geometric squares and the offset wedding cake style for his mother in law, Mina Loy. Loy herself was a fascinating woman having lived a life of astonishing Bohemian experiences, and deserved such an original, captivating headstone.

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So, what design gravestone should I have? Will you submit some suggestions? I look forward with intrigued interest …

I will leave you with a few lines from a favorite poem by Rupert Brooke, to set the scene:

“If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England.”