Cathy A. Dailey, MBA, “Cemetery Symbolism & Imagery: Grave Markers, Headstones, Tombstones, Stelae”. The images engraved on your great-grandparents' headstone may be pretty but do they hold a special meaning? Do shapes of markers or the architecture within the cemetery have significance? In addition to the name, birth and death dates listed on a tombstone, symbols may be another hint to your ancestor's life story. Join Cathy as she "wanders" through the cemetery in search of the meaning of the various symbols, images, and designs used on headstones, monuments, mausoleums, and obelisks.