Cool West Michigan Tattoos And The Stories Behind Them

Some of these tattoos are heartbreaking. Some are inspiring. Some are just beautiful.

You're not going to believe some of these amazing tattoos. Make sure you scroll through them all.

Samantha Fracassi,

My dads handwriting taken from a letter he wrote me. He passed away in 2011 unexpectedly at 47.

Jennifer Basinski,

We lost our son in Nov '17 after he was born too early at 20w2d
This is his memorial tattoo... Some of his ashes are in the heart heart balloon ❤
Elephants were to be his theme, so this was of course the one i fell in love with

Katie Swainston,

It’s to represent my outer transformation and growth/beauty (butterfly), but my inner strength and loyalty (Tiger). Gary Gash did an absolutely phenomenal job on this!!

Charles Elder,

Full Ironman. Reminder of my greatest physical accomplishment. 2.4 mile swim. 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run.

Bri Marie,

My daughters memorial tattoo. She passed away 4 months before turning two her birthday is coming up she would have been 6 this year!!
Rest in peace baby girl
4/14/13-12/19/14

Rachel D Smith,

My version of Morse code in memory of my brother who passed away Nov 13,2018 in a car accident. The top line is “Bryan” the bottom is “Brother”

Samara McPherson,

My daily reminder of how proud my dad was of me. He passed unexpectedly just over 5 years ago.

Marina Lizzette Nieves,

Can’t see all of it, but it’s my moms name, Eloisa and her lip print. She always wore red or pink lipstick, and she would blot the extra on paper towel or whatever. After she died, we found one and thought it would be the perfect tattoo to remember her by. An imprint of her most memorable physical feature. But we miss looking into her eyes and hearing her incredible laugh even more.

Sadie Frank McElwain,

My son's name and birth date with his birth flower. Chip from Beauty And The Beast.

Jodi Gross,

For my dad and stepmom...they were Jeep peeps that traveled all over to rock crawl and trail ride

Katie Fullmer,

This is probably my favorite...lines up to matching ones with a few of my favorite people

Christie Ann Torres,

I am one of those favorite people! <3

Jordan Cox,

My very first was in honor of my grandfather. His birth and death date in Roman numerals along with his favorite bible verse; Phil. 4:13

Karen Nogac

All 5 of my kids because they are the main reason I wake up every morning.

Anastasia McRoberts,

This one is for my love of science - the center is a carbon atom, surrounded by a circle of DNA and the outside is the phylogenetic tree of life.

Karen Casteel Parshall,

This is the number 9 in Elvish, to signify the 9 members if the Fellowship in Lord of The Rings. My two cousins and i got them because I took them to see the movies when they were little, and the 3 of us have always had a special bond and a love for LOTR

Lynn Williams,

Cheyenne, Annie for short was my Rottweiler and left paw prints on my heart. Passed 2013

Brianne DeBoer,

I have many this is my favorite. I play the piano and my kids names are in the tree along with my CCB who would be 11 this year. My father who loved to fish and passed away in 2014 is the man in the fishing boat.

Shannon Holder,

I tell people the two flowers represent my sons. But it’s really it’s just a cover up from when I was married. When my ex and I would hold hands it would say what God has put together let man separate. I guess it should of said let no man or woman separated because he had an affair and we are divorced.

Amy Moore Shaffer,

For my bestest doberman that suddenly passed two years ago today

Elizabeth Bowden,

My largest tat is a sleeve in remembrance of my father who passed away 6 years ago. Each piece represents something.
-pocket watch is the time of his death
-monarch butterfly representing the cancer he passed away from
-lion head because my maiden name is King
-lion’s blue eyes for my fathers blue eyes that he has passed down to me
-anatomical heart to represent the begining of my nursing career in the cardiolulmonary unit
-flowers to represent the beginning of life and all the beauty it has to offer
-cheetah print to represent the animal within
Gary Gash at Gash's Tattoos & Piercing did an amazing job.

Shawnna Browning,