JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - For Ashley Cornelius, owner of Nicholasville Monument Co., he’s used to overcoming hard tasks.

“I lost my father. I walked in here to buy him a headstone, was looking for direction and something told me I should do this,” Cornelius said.

He and the handful of other monument makers chip away at headstones and plaques by hand, while also trying to leave their mark beyond stone.

“You have your word, and you have your name, and truly when you’re putting it on one of these rocks, that’s your name and the last word you’ll ever say,” he said.

When a drunk driver drove through more than 20 headstones at Maple Grove Cemetery in 2021, Cornelius was asked to help restore people’s last words.

But he said this project didn’t come without some obstacles.

Cornelius sa

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