DiRienzo Monuments

03/03/2026

I recently joined the ranks of people who know someone near and dear fighting for their lives against cancer. Someone who is, by any measure, a truly positive addition to her family, to her community, and to the freakin’ Milky Way. Someone who would leave a significant hole in the lives of many people if she were not here. Someone who, if absent, will seriously alter the life trajectories of loved ones- including children- who will not be able to benefit from such a uniquely wonderful person.

As a helpless on-looker to something that can be compared to attempted homicide upon an innocent person, I find myself grasping for anything that could thwart the injustice even in the slightest. But we know full well that we don’t have control. We have no influence whatsoever over the outcome of some cancer diagnoses. Medical professionals do—and we are immensely grateful to them. But the rest of us are left to perform symbolic gestures like shaving our heads to show solidarity and empathy.

Shaving my head did produce some immediate, positive results. I saw the unmistakable gratitude and the feeling of love from this person upon seeing my near-hairless head for the first time ever. But the positivity I initially felt from the symbolic gesture faded rather quickly as I realized that it had no physiological effect on her cancer. I wonder how many other people out there felt a similar sort of inadequacy and disappointment after realizing the extent of our powerlessness. How many of us feel, somehow, personally guilty that such an injustice happens to someone so deserving of better?

I think there is a very human desire (and need) to share in both the happiness and also in the pain and sadness of others. It gives us purpose. For everyone out there fighting for their lives against cancer, and also to all those who are desperately trying to make a difference in the lives of those people, I salute you.

12/01/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/kenIwlgtw4Q?si=WaAdYyR5KaIYg7H8

Welcome to Madison, Wisconsin. This is Forest Hill Cemetery and the topic of discussion today will be Eston Hemings Jefferson, son of Sally Hemings and Thom...

09/13/2021

We were recently privileged with the honor of restoring the Robert M. La Follette memorial at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison!

https://www.channel3000.com/la-follette-grave-markers-restored-rededicated

These large, bronze memorials are quite unique, and while they have held up pretty well over the last century, a few of the characters on Robert's memorial have come off and lost over the years.

Sadly, there's no practical way to restore these back to their original condition. Furthermore, since the green patina that is produced by natural oxidation over time cannot be replicated, even replacing the missing characters with new ones is a challenge. The new bronze characters will be easy to identify (at least for the next 50 years or so- allowing time to perform it's work on them, too).

Thank you to the DAR and the Progressive Magazine for the honor!

08/16/2021

https://www.dirienzomonuments.com/post/covid-19-update

If you've been uncertain about how to handle the pandemic lately, you're not alone. I've had a handful of customers walk in with a mask in their hand and look to me for some kind of cue instructing them to put it on or leave it off. That seems simple enough, but in those circumstances, I'm usually d...

07/09/2021

To all of our current and potential customers:

I think it's safe to say that most of us feel like the worst of the pandemic is behind us. We just celebrated Independence Day and it's really is starting to feel like the regular, hot and sticky Madison summer that we dream about 5 months out of the year. I am fully vaccinated and I am just as relieved as everyone else that we no longer need to deal with our glasses fogging up or constantly having to adjust our mask while we have a conversation with anyone indoors.

However, we understand that there are many people out there that, for a variety of reasons, still choose to or need to where a mask. We are committed to the safety and comfort of all our customers and, while we no longer where masks unprompted, we are happy to do apply them if asked to- no questions asked.

For those who are still unable or uncomfortable with making to make the trip to our showroom, please know that we are always willing to meet and communicate through whatever means works best for you- be it a Zoom meeting, email, a phone conversation, or even by coming directly to you if you're in the Madison area.

Stay healthy, Madison!

02/04/2021

A big thanks to Vital Signs of Verona for our new sign! 😎

11/12/2020

Dear friends,

With the rising cases of covid-19 here in Madison, we have decided to close our showroom to visitors until further notice. We hope to open back up no later than Nov. 30th.

We are still working and are available to help our customers with any memorial or cemetery services you may need! Please give us a call at 608-233-2724, or email us at info@dirienzomonuments.com.

We can also meet virtually for anyone interested- just give us a call!

As always, we can provide quick estimates and plenty of information via email- including photos and illustrations- to help new customers begin the process of memorializing their loved-ones.

~Stay healthy, and we'll see you soon!

10/08/2020

I got my hands on some DiRienzo History! Whatever you're doing right now is certainly not important enough not to check these old photos out!

Here are a few, but you need go to the website to view them all.

09/22/2020

https://www.dirienzomonuments.com/post/how-long-will-it-take

Grief is hard. Seems obvious and unnecessarily blunt, right? So what's the point in such a statement? I bring it up because it applies to most people we serve. I'll start by pointing out another obvious fact that I think most people can agree with: I do not envy healthcare professionals that are tas...

09/14/2020

DiRienzo is halfway into our second month at our new location at 5502 University Ave, and we're still adding to our display! New stones arrived last week, and we expect more in the coming weeks.

We are determined to offer our customers plenty of physical memorials and samples to help customers understand and envision the possibilities available to them. However, we also understand that health and safety is paramount, and meeting in-person is not an option for everyone. For that reason, we are prepared to email and/or mail print and photo material help people make decisions remotely.

For those that do decide to visit our showroom, we ask that you call ahead and make an appointment. We would like to accommodate only one family or party at a time in our showroom to reduce everyone's risk of exposure, and we need some time to disinfect certain areas between customer visits.

~Stay healthy, Madison!

08/19/2020

We invite everyone to check out our new website at www.dirienzomonuments.com
Visit early, visit often!

DiRienzo Monuments provides quality, locally engraved memorials, gravestones, headstones and engraving to Madison.