Woodlawn Cemetery, Las Vegas, Nevada

JOHN W. MEYERS

1865 – 1941

The gravestone pictured above displays an incised carving of open gate, a very common symbol found in American cemeteries.

In this example, the open gates, which are central to the Last Judgment, have above the gates a crown.

The gates represent a passageway, the gates are the portal for saved souls to make their passage from the Earthly realm to Heaven upon Christ’s return.

The crown is a symbol of glory and reward and victory over death.  The reward comes after life and the hard-fought battle on Earth against the wages of sin and the temptations of the flesh.  The reward awaits in Heaven where the victor will receive a crown of victory.  The crown also represents the sovereign authority of the Lord.