More Than Just Work | Cemetery Lettering Services & Community Support
- trevorh59
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
In the summer of 2025, wildfires swept across parts of Nova Scotia, putting communities under real pressure and stretching local resources to their limits.
At Demone Monuments in Lunenburg, that impact hit especially close to home.
One of their key team members, a highly skilled craftsman who works on monuments every day, also serves as the fire chief of their local volunteer fire department. When the fires broke out, there was no question where he needed to be. Protecting his community came first.
But that also meant Demone Monuments was suddenly without a key member of their team.
Like any small business, they still had families counting on them. Work still needed to be done.
So they reached out for help.
Sally Gerhardt of Demone Monuments, who also serves on the board of the Canadian Monument Builders – Ontario Monument Builders Association (CMB-OMBA), sent a simple message to others in the association: could anyone lend a hand?
The answer was yes.
In mid-September, we sent one of our own team members, Jeff Burton, to Nova Scotia. Jeff flew out on September 15th and spent a couple of weeks in Lunenburg, helping Demone Monuments catch up on their cemetery lettering work.
What started as a straightforward effort to help quickly became something more.
Jeff brought with him years of experience working in cemeteries across Ontario, sharing techniques and small efficiencies he has developed over time. At the same time, he found himself learning new approaches and picking up a few tricks of his own from the team in at Demones.
It was a true exchange, the kind that only happens when skilled people come together and work side by side.
And of course, this being the Maritimes, the experience extended well beyond the work.
Jeff was welcomed the way any Maritimer welcomes a guest, like family.
During his time there, he was able to:
go mackerel fishing
explore Lunenburg and the surrounding area
see the Bluenose II up close
study historic slate monuments, something we don't see in our region
meet Rick Lagina and Billy Gerhardt from The Curse of Oak Island at a local Mustang car show
enjoy more donairs than any one person reasonably should
attend a corn roast and a birthday celebration with the Gerhardt family
take in those Nova Scotia sunsets that make the East Coast one of the most beautiful places in Canada
It was a trip filled with good work, good people, and a lot of good memories.
More importantly, it was a reminder of something we do not always talk about.
Behind every monument is a team of people who care deeply about what they do. Not just about craftsmanship, but about families, communities, and doing the right thing when it matters.
In this case, it meant stepping in to help when another company needed it.
We may operate in different towns and serve different families, but moments like this show that we are all part of something bigger.
A big thank you to Sally and the entire team at Demone Monuments for their hospitality, and to Jeff for representing us so well.
Sometimes the best stories in our work are not just about the monuments we build, but about the people behind them.
Comments