welcome to
Sears Monument
Creative memorialization, exceptional workmanship, and guaranteed satisfaction – This has been our pledge to all West Virginia families since 1911 and for generations to come.
Sears Monument Company has served over 150,000 families since being in business and continues to guarantee exceptional service and proper memorialization for our customers' loved ones.
About Us
Sears Monument Company was established in 1911 and is West Virginia’s oldest and largest supplier of memorials and monuments. We produce and install monuments in West Virginia, southeastern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.
We offer a complete line of monuments, with over 2,000 memorials in stock. Select from flat markers single and double upright memorials, single and companion flat bronze memorials, children memorials, benches, cremation memorials and urns, mausoleums, bronze plaques, granite signs, military monuments, and uniquely shaped memorials. Contact one of our sales professionals to design the perfect memorial based on your own design.
We are a member of the American Institute Of Commemorative Art (AICA), an association of retail monument companies and consultants who specialize in memorial design. As well as a member of the Monument Builders of North America (MBNA), a trade association that is over 100 years old, whose members are dedicated to providing an honest and ethical service, while being committed to the craftsmanship of the industry.
Sears Monument Company has served over 150,000 families since being in business. Having established a reputation for creative memorialization, exceptional workmanship, with guaranteed satisfaction, Sears Monument pledges to all West Virginia families for generations to come, proper memorialization for their loved ones.
Why
Sears?
The Sears Tradition
We strive to help families during a time when decisions are difficult to make.
Roy Oscar Sears, the founder of Sears Monument Company, started “The Sears Tradition,” based on the idea of quality products, the finest workmanship, and only honorable dealings with our customers. That same customer pledge is still in effect today, and will continue in the years to come.
Experience & Knowledge
Having delivered and installed memorials in over 600 different cemeteries each year, Sears Monument Company is very knowledgeable of cemetery locations and their terrain.
We are also very familiar with the requirements of the perpetual care cemeteries, to steer you in the best direction when selecting your memorial.
Established
Trained Professionals
Our memorial designers attend ongoing seminars conducted by nationally known instructors and designers to ensure our customers are provided with the most up-to-date technology and design techniques in the memorial business today.
Experience & Knowledge
With four showrooms located in Charleston, Huntington, Beckley, and Parkersburg, and 17 funeral homes across the state of West Virginia, Sears Monument is the largest memorial monument company in West Virginia.
Founded in 1911
It was in October 1911 when Roy Oscar Sears, contrary to the advice of others, established what was to become the largest memorial monument company in West Virginia. The original address of the company was 1001 Virginia Street East, now the location of The Gazette and Daily Mail. Roy Sears persuaded his father and brother to move from Washington Court House, Ohio to operate the newly formed monument company.
Prior to his 17th birthday Roy learned the trade of stone cutter. In 1900 he traveled a five star territory as a monument manufacturer’s wholesale representative. During his travels, he was impressed with the business future of the Charleston area. Roy Sears continued his job as a wholesale representative for the next two years to assure financial stability to the new company during the critical early years of organization.
During the first two years the business did not prosper, so Roy Sears resigned his traveling job and took over the active management of the company. Through hard work and dedication, the company began to grow.
In 1918 the business moved to 510 Virginia Street, during this time all production work was completed onsite at this location.
In 1939 the first of many branches across the state of West Virginia opened in Beckley.
Roy’s oldest son, Roy B. Sears, became associated with the company in 1946, and his youngest son, Jack, in 1949. Following the death of his wife in April 1952, Roy Oscar Sears retired after 52 years at the age of 69.
Beginning in 1960, Roy’s youngest son, Jack, took over the company. Through continued growth and urban renewal, in 1974 the third move was made to the present location at 124 Virginia Street, East.
In 1988 Brent, Jack’s youngest son, was elected president of Sears Monument Company. He continues to operate the company on a day to day basis. Jack’s oldest son, John, managed the Huntington branch from 1974, until he retired in 2013.
Our Locations
Today, Sears Monument Company has four showrooms located in Charleston, Huntington, Beckley and Parkersburg. Additionally, there are over 20 funeral homes that offer our products to the families in the areas they serve.
Our
History
“Heartwarming Service and Outstanding Craftsmanship”
Meet
The Team
Brent Sears
President
I was born and raised in Charleston, WV and have worked at Sears Monument full time since 1981. Before that, I worked part time in the summers for 3 years. I enjoy playing golf, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.
Sears Monument allowed me to meet my wife – at a Sears Monument Christmas party. Also, in having to locate cemeteries, I have learned many interesting things you don’t commonly think about. I have learned that GPS units are not always correct, like when they take you on a road where a bridge has been out for several years, or where a road ends and turns into a small trail.
Conversely, I have learned about longitude and latitude coordinates and how accurate they are depending on what device or scale you use.
Sarah Reed
I was born and raised in Charleston, WV. I graduated from West Virginia University in 2009 with a degree in Marketing, and minors in Advertising and Dance. In May 2018, I began working at Sears Monument Company as the Marketing Manager. During this time, I have learned a lot about the industry, as well as grief and remembrance. The monument industry is often something that isn’t thought of, but something that everyone encounters at least once in their lifetime.
Remembering can be beautiful, and it is fascinating to see all the wonderful stories told in stone. The sheer beauty of a personalized monument can be breath taking. In 2023 I attended my first School of Hard Rocks in Elberton, GA where I started diving into the ins and outs of stone carving by hand.
Allen Cosby
Sales Manager
I am originally from and grew up here in Charleston, WV. I have worked in the monument business for over 13 years and started with Sears Monument Company in January of 2006. I received a certificate of completion in the American Institute of Commemorative Art Sales Training Seminar in 2007. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling West Virginia and seeing this beautiful state, and playing golf when given the opportunity.
One of the things I am most proud of working for Sears Monument Company is the ability to bring memories alive for my families that have lost a loved one. Telling that person’s story in the memorial design process brings much closure to the family, and helps cherish the memories of that loved one that has passed.
Heather Sturgill
Plant Manager & Artist
Joe Christian
Sales Counselor & Office Manager
Huntington WV
I was born and raised in Huntington, WV (Westmoreland area). I enjoy spending my life with my 2 wonderful children as well as family and friends. My hobbies include playing pool, going to concerts, traveling, fishing, cooking and local charity work. I’ve had several different career paths such as being a railroader, steelworker, and counseling troubled youth in our area. I have a degree in Electronics Technology from Mountwest Community & Technical College with a background in Transportation and Logistics.
Sears Monument Company has allowed me to bring all those different work ethics together in order to bring my customers a sense of compassion, hard work ethic and integrity in order to give you complete satisfaction from the start of the process, to when it is complete.
Christopher Baber
Sales Counselor & Office Manager
Beckley WV
our hours: The Charleston showroom is open 8-5 mon-fri. Find our other location details below.
Frequently Asked
Questions
This is one of our most common questions. Here are a few factors that go into determining the price of a monument.
Prices are subject to change depending on the engraving. This would include phrases, names, dates, pictures, etc.
The cemetery location can affect the price, depending on the lay of the land and how the monument needs to be properly installed for posterity.
The granite type/color certain granites are priced differently because they are sourced differently.
Certain cemeteries have certain fees and regulations. Our sales counselors are often aware of these different regulations without having to reach out to the cemetery, as we have installed monuments in a large majority of the cemeteries throughout West Virginia.
By working with one of our sales counselors, we are able to walk you through the process of designing a monument that meets your needs, budget, and expectations.
There is no “right” or “wrong” time to make a selection. The time to do so is when you are ready. Typically, memorials are installed in the memorial row of the cemetery (which is approximately a foot off of the actual gravesite) in ground that has not been disturbed. Therefore, the actual installation of a memorial can take place at any time.
Pricing varies greatly in memorials. The most common items that will dictate one’s purchase price are: color of granite, number of polished surfaces (front, back, top, sides, etc.), size and shape of the memorial. Other additional costs might be a cemetery installation fee when installation would be made in a perpetual care cemetery. Standard sized markers, 24 inches by 12 inches by 4 inches in thickness, start in the price range of about $275.00. Upright memorials usually start in price at about $600.00. Keep in mind that there is not a way to price a memorial without knowing the extent of what would be included on the memorial.
Every memorial purchased from Sears Monument Company is guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship, not only the purchaser, but to their descendants as well. A guarantee is only as good as the provider remains in business. Sears Monument Company has been servicing families since 1911 and has provided excellent service of memorials we have produced and installed. You need not have your warranty in hand since we have records of all units we have fabricated. Our guarantee applies regardless of the cemetery the memorial is placed in.
There are those in the marketplace that are higher and, there are some that are lower. A variety of factors control what the “price” is. We do know that our pricing of memorials is a “fair price” for the services we provide. We have been in business for over 100 years. We accomplished this by offering a price that would provide our clients a product that has not only price in mind, but value as well. We have had customers tell us of their experiences with other companies who provided them a “low price” and then did not supply them the memorial, for whatever reason. Pricing is important, but we feel that your “best value” is more important when it comes to receiving a memorial that has significance to you and future generations.
Sears Monument Company usually will have an “in stock” unit on site in approximately 6 weeks. This time can vary by a couple of weeks, depending on weather conditions. For custom order units, it can take as long as 4 months for fabrication from the quarries. We will do our best to provide you with a timely delivery and keep you informed of progress.
No, you do not have to purchase from the cemetery. You cannot be required to purchase your memorial from any company. Should you have been given this information, you may verify our answer with the West Virginia State Attorney General’s Office. This statement may be used to get you to purchase your memorial from the cemetery sales agent to attain a quota. A company who does not have your best interest at heart will pressure you into making a hasty decision based on price, they will call you uninvited, or they may call you shortly after your family’s funeral. You should never be pressured, nor feel pressured into making a hasty decision.
As cremation grows in popularity, we encourage you to consider a memorial for your loved one. Memorials provide an important place for you to maintain your connection to your loved one and your memories. You will, psychologically, have a greater peace of mind knowing there is still a place you can go and honor memories of the deceased. We invite you to explore the unique ways of memorialization for cremation. We have had clients come to us and ask for assistance. They were told to take the cremated ashes of their loved one home, place them in an urn, and place them on the mantle. They describe the “psychological guilt” that came with this. They could visualize that, down the road, a well-meaning family member could unknowingly dispose of the, or, they themselves might pass away and no one know the contents of the urn. They have now come to the point when they must deal with reality and have decided to inter the ashes and place a memorial so that there will be a place for all to connect to the deceased loved one. Once this has taken place, they express their “relief” and “closure”.
Generally, there is no charge for your drawing when using standard templates, however, there may be a cost for special custom drawings when it is not finalized the day they are rendered. This cost would be credited toward the purchase of the memorial. To not do this, on special designs, would be unfair to all involved. We have worked with you, using our computer system and trained staff, to achieve a design that is unique and important to you.
No, generations create their own terminology for items that are similar, or in this case, exactly alike.
contact
us!