Linda Montillo operates a Hyster forklift among her duties as owner of the A Monti Granite Co in South Quincy.

Montillo, who is 89, says the Hyster is "an old-timer" with capacity to lift approximately 16,000 pounds. "It has never failed to lift to fulfill a need," she notes to Forkliftaction.com News.

The dealership in granite blocks has other materials handling equipment. "We have two others not worth two cents," she says. Those forklift capacities are approximately 8,000 and 4,000 pounds.

Gary Higgins of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts documented Montillo's story in a 15 December feature article ("Solid as a Rock") and an audio slideshow.

Linda's father, Angelo Monti, ran the business from 1932 until his retirement in the mid-1950s. He directed his daughter to either operate the business or close it.

She opted to continue the work, largely involving the creation of monuments, memorial stones and architectural sculptures using unfinished blocks of stone. The nearby Quincy granite quarries were early sources for the material.

Linda's son, John, works at the firm. Linda, now a widow, has a grandson and a married granddaughter but "neither is interested in the business", she notes.