No family enjoys the tasks that inevitably come with planning a funeral or the death of a loved one and it’s even harder to deal with after a death.

My family and I decided with the failing health of a family member that we wanted to get that part out of the way before, rather than after. Cemetery lots in a beautiful location have been purchased.. Step two was a memorial stone. We chose one yesterday.

Looking at the monuments naturally reminded me of Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel Wayne Smith whose Bahamian graves are unmarked to this day even though a year and a half has passed since the death of Anna Nicole and two years is fast approaching since the death of Daniel.

On June 20th 2007, Art Harris, thebaldtruth.com who was writing many “exclusives” about the Anna Nicole and Daniel Smith deaths announced in an article; “Exclusive: New Details on Gravestone For Anna; Wanted: Flawless, 7 X 8 Foot Slab of Granite; Stern and Birkhead Hunt “Perfect” Memorial; TBD Anna & Daniel Photo To Be Etched in Stone”.

Following a guest article written for this site about the condition of the graves which were reported as barren without even a ground vase, “rosespeaks.com” on January 5th 2008, published a blog article citing Harris’s article above and a press release from a Woodland California firm, Aquarius Laser Etching and Design

The rosespeaks article states in part;

The perfect 7×8 foot smooth granite stone has been found to cover the graves of Daniel and his mother Anna Nicole Smith, if Art Harris exclusive with Howard K. Stern on June 20, 2007 is still the same plan. It was announced on January 3 by Aquarius Laser Etching and Design, a company out of WoodlandCalifornia, that they have been selected to create the memorial. Mr. Nguyen while announcing the endeavor by his company stated they are the same company that did a laser portrait of Anna Nicole Smith for her StudioCity home.
This has been a joint effort by the executor of the Estate, Howard K. Stern, and the father and guardian of the estate Larry Birkhead. The sole heir of the estate is Dannielynn Birkhead. I am sure she will be very pleased with what the Estate and her father have picked out.

Approaching the first anniversary of the death of Anna Nicole Smith in February of 2007, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider published a five part television series featuring Larry and Dannielynn Birkhead.

Entertainment Tonight:

LARRY AND DANNIELYNN BIRKHEAD VISIT THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF ANNA NICOLE SMITH ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH February 5, 2008 (Los Angeles, CA)– ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT's JANN CARL was exclusively with Larry Birkhead and daughter Dannielynn this week in Nassau, Bahamas as the 17-month-old made her first trip back to visit her mother and brother's graves, one year after her mother's sudden death.
In an a multi-part interview to begin airing on Wednesday, February 6th, Birkhead says the visit is difficult for him, but he arranged it for his daughter, "It's tough. Even though she doesn't understand, it was important for us to come. One day I can tell her that we went to visit her mom." When they arrived at the unmarked gravesites, Dannielynn placed a pink toy turtle on Anna Nicole's plot and whispered, "mama."
On why the graves of Anna Nicole and Daniel are without tombstones, Birkhead says, "A rough draft came back with a sketch of a picture I didn't care for. I could just hear her hitting me over the head saying, 'Why did you let that picture go down!?'" Birkhead reveals that the design of the headstone will be "so grand and big. It's going to encompass Daniel's stone too."

It is now August 14, 2008. Laser etching I was told, even on a big stone takes no more than several weeks with the new computer technology available. Explanation below.

http://www.stoneplans.com/laser/
About Laser Etching
Laser etching is relatively new technology with in the stone industry where its capabilities are limited by ones imagination. This process allows you to engrave black and white pictures/ Images and information on dark black granite marker / monument from any high quality photograph or drawing. We use a high precision laser engraver specially designed for engraving memorials. Our laser etching machine actually burns the image into the granite surface and is guaranteed to last over 300 years. Completely operated by computers, the laser can achieve almost exact copies of images given the original image is of high quality.
*According to the site above on an average memorial stone, it takes much less time.

Below is a picture of the cemetery showing how stones are allowed to be placed and what size and type of stones are permitted.

Here is the telephone conversation today with "Aquarius Laser and Etching";

Q. Is your company making a memorial stone for Anna Nicole Smith?
A. It's in the works.
Q. How long does it take to complete an etching for a stone such as hers?
A. It takes several weeks to complete the etching depending upon the size of the stone.
Q. When will the stone be finished?
A. I don't know.
Q. May I speak to someone that can tell me when it will be finished?
A. The man in charge of the project who has the details is on vacation.
Q. When will he return so I can speak to him?
A. He is building a home in Mexico and I have no idea when he will return.

Here is the telephone conversation today with "Lakeview Memorial Gardens" in Nassau Bahamas;

Q. Could special permission be given for a 7 foot x 8 foot memorial stone?
A. No it would be too big and not permitted.
Q. Is there room at the grave sites (the size of Anna Nicole and Daniel Smith's) for a 7 foot x 8 foot memorial stone?
A. No.
Q. Does it have to be a ground stone? Can an upright stone be used?
A. Only ground stones. No upright permitted.
Q. What stone materials are permitted such as marble or granite.
A. Granite.

Draw your own conclusions why Anna Nicole and Daniel Smith do not have a marker on their graves.

* Thanks to Kerry for her assistance with this article.

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