Introduction: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak presents some of the hilarious or unusual—and, in some cases, quite touching—epitaphs she has discovered. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
Are you an expert on some of the more famous epitaphs found on tombstones?
To see if you are, take this handy Famous People’s Tombstone Epitaphs quiz—which you are welcome to share with your genealogy-loving and cemetery-sleuthing friends—and then check your answers below.
Authors of Their Own Epitaphs
If you want to be certain you’ll be remembered in a unique way, then write your own epitaph. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) did it, so why not you? Besides, it’s a great way to make sure you get in the last words you want!
Thomas Jefferson’s Epitaph
Of the two, Thomas Jefferson’s epitaph is the more serious. Prior to his death on 4 July 1826, he wrote:
“Here lies Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and of the Statutes establishing religious toleration in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Benjamin Franklin’s Epitaph
I prefer Dr. Franklin’s epitaph; he humorously described himself as “food for worms” prior to his passing on 17 April 1790.
William Shakespeare’s Epitaph
Another famous historical figure who wrote his own epitaph was William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Shakespeare’s tombstone inscription, which has been widely debated, suggests that a visitor might be cursed if he moved Shakespeare’s bones. One theory is that Shakespeare wished to scare away grave robbers; another is that as cemeteries filled, he wished to deter the custom of moving existing interments to make room for others. (See his grave from Holy Trinity Churchyard in Stratford-upon-Avon, England at www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1450.)
Shakespeare wrote:
“Good friends, for Jesus’ sake, forbear
To dig the dirt inclosed here.
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
But curst be he that moves my bones.”
Sam Houston’s Epitaph
Then there is that famous Texan, Sam Houston (1793-1863). As a senator from Texas, he delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate defending the Compromise of 1850. Worried that slavery would split the Union, he declared: “I wish, if this Union must be dissolved, that its ruins may be the monuments of my grave, and the graves of my family. I wish no epitaph to be written to tell that I survived the ruin of this glorious Union.”
He died in the middle of the Civil War, and no epitaph was written for him. However, his gravesite memorial features a quote by Andrew Jackson: “The world will take care of Houston’s fame.”
Curious & Memorable Epitaphs of the Famous and Not-So-Famous
Some epitaphs are noteworthy because they were written for famous people—and others are memorable for their uniqueness. While researching this topic, I discovered that many epitaphs are simply urban legends and don’t exist in reality—but the epitaph examples below are real. Just follow the links to check the inscriptions with photographs of the tombstones at findagrave.com.
Lucille Ball’s Epitaph
“You’ve Come Home”
(Lake View Cemetery, Jamestown, New York:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7003071)
Deborah Marie Bennett’s Epitaph
“Life is short,
Eat dessert first”
(Mount Hope Cemetery, Pescadero, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=99693195)
Jonathan Blake’s Epitaph
“Here lies the body of
Jonathan Blake
Stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake”
(Uniontown Cemetery, Uniontown, Pennsylvania:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39158322)
Mel Blanc’s Epitaph
“That’s All Folks”
(Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=100)
Rodney Dangerfield’s Epitaph
“There Goes the Neighborhood”
(Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9556754)
Marguerite Dewey Daniels’s Epitaph
“She always said her
Feet were killing her,
But no one believed her.”
(Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28457972)
Bette Davis’s Epitaph
“She Did It the Hard Way”
(Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=258)
Jack Dempsey’s Epitaph
“Heavyweight Champion of the World
A gentle man and a gentleman”
(Southampton Cemetery, Southampton, New York:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=275)
Murphy A. Dreher Jr.’s Epitaph
“This ain’t bad
Once you get used to it.”
(Star Hill Cemetery, Saint Francisville, Louisiana:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=95370531&PIpi=65389055)
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Epitaph
“So we beat our boats against
The current, borne back
Ceaselessly into the past”
—The Great Gatsby
(Old Saint Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery, Rockville, Maryland:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=344)
Robert Frost’s Epitaph
“I Had a Lover’s Quarrel with the World”
(Old Bennington Cemetery, Bennington, Vermont:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=371)
Sal Giardino’s Epitaph
“World’s Greatest Electrician”
[This tombstone looks like a light bulb.]
(Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa, New Jersey:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5103)
Merv Griffin’s Epitaph
“I will not be right back
After this message”
(Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20909851)
Joan Hackett’s Epitaph
“Go Away—I’m Asleep”
(Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1447)
William H. Hahn Jr.’s Epitaph
“I Told You I Was Sick”
(Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7968130)
Rita Hayworth’s Epitaph
“To yesterday’s companionship
And tomorrow’s reunion”
(Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1253)
Coretta Scott King’s Epitaph
“And now abide faith, hope,
Love, these three; but the
Greatest of these is love.”
—I Cor. 13:13
(Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Atlanta, Georgia:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=582)
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Epitaph
“Free at last, free at last,
Thank God Almighty
I’m free at last.”
(Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Atlanta, Georgia:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=582)
Harvey Korman’s Epitaph
“You’re Born, You Suffer, and You Die”
(Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=27185449)
Jack Lemmon’s Epitaph
“Jack Lemmon in”
(Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=22822)
Paul G. Lind’s Epitaph
“WEMISSU”
[This tombstone looks like a scrabble board.]
(Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery, Portland, Oregon:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=27240724)
Sylvester B. McCracken’s Epitaph
“School is out
Teacher has gone home”
(Grace Lawn Cemetery, Elkhart, Indiana:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43210077)
Lester Moore’s Epitaph
“Here lies Lester Moore
Four slugs from a .44
No les [sic], no more”
(Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, Arizona:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19899)
Leslie Nielsen’s Epitaph
“Let ’Er Rip”
[And on the bench:]
“Sit Down Whenever You Can”
(Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62278982)
Dr. William P. Rothwell’s Epitaph
“This Is on Me”
—Rx
(Oak Grove Cemetery, Pawtucket, Rhode Island:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11588247)
Billy Wilder’s Epitaph
“I’m a writer
But then
Nobody’s perfect”
(Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California:
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6295551)
Here is a collage of some more curious epitaphs, all found in historical newspapers.
If you know of some curious or funny epitaphs from cemeteries near you, please share them with us in the comments!