Alongside the larger monument blocks for sale are vases to accompany the blocks and hold the flowers and decor that family bring to the gravesites to honor their loved ones.
This past June, Rust-Unger came under the new management of Wilson Honeycutt. Starting as a family attendant at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in 2022, Honeycutt was inspired to pursue a career in the funeral service industry after speaking with his father-in-law, who sells monuments in Greenfield. “[Honeycutt’s father-in-law] spoke often of the purpose he found in it, and I knew I wanted to have that same feeling.”
So, when an opportunity opened up to run the local Rust-Unger business, Honeycutt jumped at the chance to become the new manager. He looks forward to continuing their long legacy of customer-based service and respect.
Rust-Unger Monuments
Rust-Unger Monuments gets its start sometime between 1860 and 1865 when Michael Unger purchased a local monument business. According to an article published in the Columbus Herald in March 1982, Unger came to the U.S. from Alsace, France, in the 1850s. He briefly stayed in Cincinnati before coming Bartholomew County to work on a farm. After acquiring some horses, Unger began hauling sand and gravel for the city of Columbus and the J.M. and I. Railroad Company.
Eventually, he also began hauling monuments for a local dealer. This dealer later sold their business to Unger, who began operating it under the name M. Unger Monuments. Sixty years later, around 1920, his son George joined the business and, five years later, took it over when Michael passed away at 89.
George Unger went on to acquire “Columbus Monument Works” and merged it with his father’s business into one operation, “The Unger Granite Works.” In 1928, three of George’s employees, James N. Rust, A. Dale Rust, and George “Curley” McCoy, left the company to start a new operation, the “Rust-McCoy Monument Works.” Just two years later, McCoy sold his interest in the company to James and A. Dale, and the “McCoy” was dropped from the company’s name, making it “Rust Monument Works.”
In 1938, George Unger’s son, Donald Unger, entered the business and operated Unger Granite Works until his father died in 1962. On January 1, 1963, Unger Granite Works and Rust Monument Works merged following the purchase of Rust Monument Works by Donald Unger.
After the merger, A. Dale Rust retired. Donald Unger was briefly joined in the new business by his son, Dennis Unger, who later left to become a news photographer for the NBC television network.
In the mid-1970s, Donald Anderson returned to Columbus after serving in the Navy and began working for Donald Unger. Anderson and his wife, Denise, purchased the company from a retiring Donald Unger in 1982. Anderson passed away in 2002, but Denise continued running the Rust-Unger business until 2019, when she retired. The company was then sold to Wearly Monuments, a fellow monument business with over a century of history to its name.
Wearly Monuments
Wearly Monuments has attributed their over a century of success to their fair and honest way of doing business with customers and families. These traits originate all the way back to the character of their founder, Sam Wearly, and the family-oriented story of how he built the business from the ground up.
Early in his life, Wearly took responsibility for supporting his mother and sisters following his father’s death. He found success in the monument industry and began working for various monument businesses and stonecutters across the country, learning the skills needed to start a company of his own.
Wearly founded the then-named Wearly Company in Montpelier, Indiana, in 1899. There Sam also married and had five children, Joe, Bob, Liz, Jeane and Paul. The Wearly Company became a family business with all the children lending a hand in its operations. However, as a young man, Joe became the lead manager of its operations after Sam began experiencing some serious health complications.
In 1929, Joe launched the first branch of Wearly Monuments in Hartford City by purchasing Burkhardt Monuments. In 1931, Bob began managing the company, and in 1932, he established the second branch in Muncie with the purchase of Busch, Russell, and Geltz Co. In 1934, Paul joined the company’s management while attending Ball State and Indiana University. After graduating from IU in 1939, Paul started a third branch in Marion after purchasing Milford Monument Co.
During World War II, the company’s expansion was halted due to the difficulty of obtaining monuments to sell. Instead, the company contracted with the Federal Government to move graves from the grounds of Quantico Marine Base, Camp Atterbury and other military sites.
After World War II, the company’s leadership was turned over to Paul, and in 1972, Paul’s son, Sam Wearly II, stepped in as the third generation of Wearly to head up the company. In 1982, Wearly Monuments purchased the Amick Monument Company. This purchase paved the way for the company’s current owner, Brian L. Whittaker, to buy it in 1996.
Today, Wearly Monuments is one of the largest retail monument firms in the United States, based on total sales volume, and has 50 displays in three states, including Rust-Unger Monuments.
“Under New Management”
Earlier this year, a new management opportunity opened up at the Wearly-owned Rust-Unger Monuments location. While working up in the New Castle area with Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service, Honeycutt heard about the opportunity and decided to make the move to become the manager of the Columbus location.
Although unfamiliar with Rust-Unger Monuments, Honeycutt had become very familiar with Wearly Monuments’ business practices. Initially, his father-in-law introduced him to Wearly Monuments, as he is a seller for the company in Greenfield. Then his time at Hinsey-Brown further cemented his appreciation for the business, as Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service sold Wearly monuments, and he got to see firsthand how well they treat their clients and employees.
Honeycutt admired how Wearly Monuments provides respect, care and honesty to their clients and couldn’t wait to join the Wearly Monuments family and continue their legacy of customer service. “I took the job immediately. I am happy that I did. My wife and I plan to move our family closer to the area soon. The community has been so welcoming.”
Honeycutt plans to grow Rust-Unger through a customer-based attitude, saying, “I won’t make promises I can’t keep. I would rather give a customer a worst-case scenario and then surprise them instead of overpromising and making a bad situation worse. I will offer the highest level of customer service. Although I am new, I have access to great people with years of experience and knowledge. I encourage anyone to come in with any questions about monuments or masonry.”
“I feel a sense of purpose being the face of Rust-Unger Monuments and showing kindness and empathy during a tough time. This is more than a job for me. I want to serve the people of this community. I am grateful for the chance to do that.”
For more information on monuments and memorial markers, contact Wilson Honeycutt by emailing wilson.honeycutt@rust-unger.com or by calling 812-379-4151. Currently, www.rust-ungermonuments.com is down, but as Rust-Unger works to restore access to the original domain, you can use www.rust-unger.com to view their information. The new website will include some new and exciting features, such as an online headstone builder, and will be launched by the new year.
