‘2000 Bug’ Will Hit Low-Tech Operations, Too

Here’s another, little-known problem that will arrive with the year 2000: what to do with those pre-paid gravestones that are already carved with a “19” where the year of the person’s death goes.

The “19” is found mostly on companion stones, usually purchased when one spouse dies and the other wants to reserve the adjacent plot. The next two digits are supposed to be carved in when the person dies.

Most companies stopped putting “19” on pre-arranged headstones in the late 1970s. The “19” was supposed to ease the burden of funeral costs. But if those people who bought the headstones don’t die by the end of 1999, their families may have some added expenses.

Some in the monument business say it could cost as little as $35 to patch over the “19.” But others say customers could end up paying thousands if they want the job done right.

“Sure, it can be patched up, but there’s no way that it will look like a natural stone when it’s completed,” said Robert Helton, division manager for Tulsa Monument Co. “The cost to have it done right could begin in the range of $2,000.”