LONS MEMORIALS is descended from Lons Stone Works Limited, founded in  1908 and based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  At that time, most family memorial stones were carved from 'white marble' because it was soft enough to be readily shaped and engraved by hand.  Granite, being very hard,  but longer lasting, was more difficult to cut and engrave and therefore more costly.  Lons Stone Works was eventually to develop an economical method of "casting" durable "Lonite" memorials for very little cost.  Families that might not otherwise have been able to afford a memorial were now able to acquire one and Lons soon became "Canada's leading memorialists"  with monuments being shipped to every province and territory in the country.  A manufacturing facility was established in Belleville to help meet the demand and reduce shipping costs (which were paid by Lons)  to the "Eastern Provinces".  In the 1960's it was possible for anyone in Canada to take delivery of a 3 piece Lonite monument three feet high for less than $65 --tax and rail-freight pre-paid!

In spite of the success of Lonite,  Lons Stone Works also specialized  in marble and granite crafting --not only for family memorials, but also for larger commercial projects such as the Sudbury Cenotaph (which was also designed by Lons) and the polished red granite for the Bank of Commerce building in Winnipeg.  

Gradually, the demand for marble and Lonite memorials declined as technology made working with granite less costly.  During the 1960's, the production of Lonite ceased with the closure of the Winnipeg operations.  

LONS

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