Bryson Memorials is located in Angleton, Texas, 35 miles south of Houston and opened in November of 1986. Best known for being custom design specialists, they are a leader in the memorial industry.
Bryson Memorials offers traditional and custom designed cemetery memorials, pet memorials, dedication memorials, commercial and residential signs; as well as memorial and cemetery repair or restoration, and are consultants to many memorial businesses within the industry. They have memorials in hundreds of Texas cities, 35 US states and eight foreign countries. They have designed and built several civic memorials, been consultants for others and been contracted to install civic memorials designed by third parties.
Please visit our testimonials page to see what a few of our customers have to say about us.
The Bryson family believes that every family member should have more than a tombstone to mark their final resting place; they deserve a memorial. A tombstone has a name, dates and design, but a true memorial gives future generations a glimpse into the meaningful life of that special soul. While it may be impossible to tell an individual’s entire life story on a single piece of stone, with the right artist guiding you, a memorial can be created that represents your love and admiration, and compels others to find out who these treasured family members really were.
Bryson’s offers traditional memorials for those customers that would like to keep the decision simple and timely, but they are best known for their desire and ability to create a true memorial by taking the time to listen to the client, getting to know the story behind the life of a lost family member or friend.
While most funeral homes and monument shops try to maximize profits by offering limited selections and rushing customers through their doors, Bryson Memorials believes profit margins are less important than leaving a legacy of pride in the Bryson name. We do not have commission sales staff and you will be afforded the time and assistance you need to create a memorial befitting those you care for so deeply.
Bryson Memorials is owned and operated by Leslie and Dena Bryson in Angleton, Texas. Mr. Bryson learned his memorial skills from his father, the late Gary G. Bryson, one of the industry’s most highly respected and talented memorialist.
Leslie was raised in the industry. At age five he was already helping his father in the cemetery and shop by cleaning and bringing his father needed supplies. He admits he was more underfoot than help, but he was learning the craft. By the age of ten, Leslie was actually helping with production by sandblasting and by age twelve he was carving designs.
In 1978, with Leslie only seventeen, Gary made the decision to open his own business and asked Leslie to be his partner. Together they founded Bryson’s Texas Wholesale Monument Company, which they operated together until 1983, when Leslie left the memorial business for three years to hone his skills as a business owner and operator by managing his father-in-law’s retail store. In November 1986 Leslie and Dena opened Bryson Memorials and continue as owner operators.
Leslie Bryson and Bryson Memorials are very active in the Angleton community and in most Brazoria County cities. A graduate of Pearland High School, he is also a member of the Angleton Rotary Club, Angleton and Brazosport Chambers of Commerce, Life member of the Brazoria County Fair Association, founding member of the Brazoria County Ring of Honor, past member of numerous Angleton Independent School District committees, current board member and officer of the Angleton Cemetery Association, founder of the Gulf Coast Cemeteries Coalition, member of the Brazoria County Calvary, donor and volunteer to countless Brazoria County charities and these are just to name a few.
Dena Bryson, RN, is a school nurse with Angleton ISD as well as co-owner of Bryson Memorials; also a graduate of Pearland High School and of Alvin Junior College. She is an active member of the award winning and nationally recognized Keep Angleton Beautiful and a Life Member of the Brazoria County Fair Association. She is known throughout the city as a consummate volunteer with the city and school district.
Leslie and Dena are proud parents to two children. Chelsea, the eldest, is a graduate of Angleton High School, soon to be mother of Leslie and Dena’s first grandchild and does data entry for the family business. Their son Zachary is a current senior at Angleton High School and member of Phi Theta Kappa at Brazosport Community College. He will graduate high school with honors in 2012 and was recently accepted to the aerospace engineering program at Texas A&M.
The following are recommendations. Bryson Memorials is not responsible any damages that may occur using these methods. Bryson Memorials uses each of these methods themselves and they have shown to be reliable when applied properly.
Should I buy a cleaner from my dealer or pay someone to clean it?
Almost never! Household cleaners will do the job in most cases. The exception is when your memorial is stained by rust, grease or oils.
Never use acids, products containing lemon juice or extracts or metals of any kind on your memorial. This includes steel brushes, steel wool or metal scrapers, with the exception of razorblades. Cleaning brushes should always have white bristles because colored bristles could bleed their coloring into the stone surface.
Normal cleaning:
Wash the memorial once a year with regular strength powdered “Comet” and a white bristle brush. Then rinse with clean water. This will remove dirt and new mildew. Wash black granite memorials with regular strength, blue “Windex” and a clean cotton cloth.
Molds and mildews:
If a memorial has gone years without cleaning, molds and mildews can build and grow on the porous stone. These are normally green, black, brown, or rust red colored. If you run your hand across the face of the stone and can feel the texture of the mold or mildew, take a razorblade and scrape the rough bulky molds off. Wash with powdered regular strength “Comet” and rinse with clean water.
If the stone is still dirty or discolored, spay with “Outdoor Clorox”. This is a very strong bleach that will ruin your clothing and can kill plants and grasses. A little goes a long way. Use a garden style sprayer. Spray repeatedly each time the stone begins to dry until it is clean. The chemical will do all of the work. This method will make 100 year old marble look brand new.
Rust:
There is no household product that will safely remove rust and not stain your memorial. Contact a dealer.
Oils and Grease:
These are the most difficult to remove. A product named “K2R”, an aerosol spray used in cloth dry-cleaning and available in the cleaning supply section of most retail stores, will remove most oil and grease stains, if found early enough. Heavily spray the effected area and let dry 24 hours. This will form a dry powder that absorbs the stain. Repeat this process until stain is removed. The dry powdered residue can be brushed from the stone. The active ingredient in this product is either.
Send us a photo of your existing memorial and we can recommend a cleaning method for your particular situation. There is no reason to pay anyone.
Why are there no prices on your website?
Because most cemeteries have varying rules and fee schedules, the exact same memorial can vary in price from cemetery to cemetery. If one cemetery charges a $200 installation fee, but your cemetery charges only $100, we do not believe you should give us an extra $100 for having that knowledge.
Is it less expensive to purchase from Bryson Memorials than my local dealer?
The simple answer is, “we don’t know.” You are obviously a smart buyer because you are researching on the internet. Homework is the key, but you have to compare the exact same product. In the memorial industry smaller does not mean less expensive. Unlike many consumer products, memorials are more like peanut butter. There are standard sizes in this industry and making an upright monument two inches shorter can increase its price, not reduce it. Make sure you price the exact same size from dealer to dealer and make sure your quoted price includes all factors or the purchase; stone, lettering, cemetery fees, delivery and taxes. But, there is a reason we have memorials all around the world.
What are the main factors in determining the price?
Color of granite, size and cemetery rules. There are hundreds of granite colors and they vary tremendously in price. Colors owned and controlled by a single distributor or family, are generally much more expensive than those colors offered by multiple distributors. For example, Georgia Gray Granite is the most popular granite in the US and we dealers have multiple suppliers to buy granite from. Conversely, Starbright Black Granite is owned by a single supplier and is one of the most expensive granites available. We discussed size and cemetery rules in the previous questions.
Can I install my memorial myself and save money?
Maybe. Most small country cemeteries do not have rules preventing the individual from installing their memorial, but most large cemeteries require an insured professional memorial company do installations or they require their in house staff do them. When a cemetery has fees for installation, that fee can adjust your price tremendously. While shopping, make sure you consider these fees into your overall cost. You may not like the rule or fee, but you agreed to it by having the burial in that particular cemetery.
Can anyone mark a particular grave in a cemetery?
No. In all cases, the purchaser of the grave has the final decision on who can or what can be placed on a gravesite. If the buyer does not have written permission from the grave owner or the direct heirs of the grave owner, the buyer is taking a risk of having their investment removed from the cemetery at the grave owner’s discretion.We are always happy to answer any questions you may have.
Please feel free to contact us via email or telephone and we will assist you.