Willow, urn, mourner

The black mold (or is it a moss?) growing on the gravestone for Rebecca Hamm Spitler (d. 1857) makes it difficult to read the inscription. In fact, I needed an assist from FindAGrave.com.

But the carving still stands out: Under a willow tree, a man leans in his grief on a pedestal that supports a funerary urn. The trunk of the willow is especially graceful with its gentle, natural curves.

REBECCA
Wife of
MICHAEL HAMM
[Dau. of Henry & Mary]
SPITLER
DIED
[March 27,] 1857
AGED
26 Yrs. 5 Mos. & 17D.
Rebecca Spitler married Michael Hamm in Fairfield County, Ohio on December 20, 1855. Less than two years later, she died—illness? childbirth? accident?

From FamilySearch.org

Count me in the conservative ranks when it comes to gravestone restoration. Do no more than necessary, or you risk ending up with a “Stepford cemetery,” if you know what I mean. 

That said, this stone is a perfect candidate for cleaning, don’t you think?

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio