Daily AncestorCalla lily
A calla lily on a gravestone is usually read as marriage, resurrection or majestic beauty, and it appears on both men's and women's stones.
The calla's single curled bloom is easy to recognize. Guides give it marriage, resurrection and majestic beauty, and some add faith and purity.
It is common on both men's and women's stones, sometimes carved in a classical vase, and it even appears on Woodmen of the World markers. Calla lilies on a couple's matching stones fit the marriage reading.
As seen in a recordSouthern town cemetery, 1870 to 1930
Calla lilies in a vase, carved on matching stones: Robert L. Fentress 1851 to 1913; Martha J. Fentress 1855 to 1920
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Calla lily." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/calla-lily. Last checked 2026-10-15.