Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs.[2] Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,[3] it is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District.[4] The District also maintains the Welwood Murray Cemetery in Palm Springs.[5]
| Desert Memorial Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | October 31, 1956 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°49′04″N 116°26′34″W / 33.8177965°N 116.4427901°W[1] |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Palm Springs Cemetery District |
| Website | Official Site |
| Find a Grave | Desert Memorial Park |
| The Political Graveyard | Desert Memorial Park |
LGBTQ Veterans Memorial
edit
In 2001, American Veterans Post 66 dedicated a memorial at the cemetery honoring all LGBTQ veterans.[6] In 2018, the state passed California Assembly Bill 2439 designating the memorial as California's official LGBTQ veterans memorial. In recognition, a second plaque was affixed to the monument. The memorial is an obelisk of South Dakotan mahogany granite with the logo of American Veterans for Equal Rights on it.[7]
Notable interments
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Among those buried here are:[8]
- Chris Alcaide (1923–2004), actor[8]
- Dorothy Arnold (1917–1984), actress
- William Milton Asher (1921–2012), American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter
- Busby Berkeley (1895–1976), motion picture director and musical choreographer
- Sonny Bono (1935–1998, born Salvatore Phillip Bono), record producer, singer (one half of the husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher), actor, politician
- Lorayne Brox (1901–1993), one of the Brox Sisters singing group
- Bob Cobert (1924–2020), television music composer
- Lawrence L. Crossley (1899–1962), Palm Springs businessman, pioneer, and first black resident[8]
- Velma Wayne Dawson (1912–2007), puppeteer and creator of Howdy Doody[8]
- Brad Dexter (1917–2002), actor and film producer
- Alex Dreier (1916–2000), broadcaster and actor[8]
- Jolie Gabor (1896–1997), mother of the Gabor sisters
- Magda Gabor (1915–1997), one of the Gabor sisters[8]
- Louis Galen (1925–2007), philanthropist and banker[8]
- Neva Gerber (1894–1974), silent film actress
- Bill Goodwin (1910–1958), television announcer[8]
- Irving Green (1916–2006), founder of Mercury Records[8]
- Earle Hagen (1919–2008), composer[8]
- Claude Harmon (1916–1989), golfer[8]
- Howard Hesseman (1940–2022), actor
- Josephine Hill (1899–1989), actress
- Roy W. Hill (1899–1986), philanthropist
- Eddy Howard (1915–1963), singer[8]
- Betty Hutton (1921–2007), singer and actress[8]
- Jennings Lang (1915–1996), film producer
- Andrea Leeds (1913–1984), actress
- Benjamin Lees (1924–2010), composer[8]
- Diana "Mousie" Lewis (1919–1997), actress
- Monica Lewis (1922–2015), actress and singer
- Frederick Loewe (1901–1988), composer[8]
- Marian Marsh (1913–2006), actress[8]
- David J. McDonald (1902–1979), labor leader
- Maurice "Mac" McDonald (1902–1971), co-founder, with brother Dick, of the original McDonald's chain
- Cameron Mitchell (1918–1994), actor
- Hugo Mario Montenegro (1925–1981), orchestra leader and composer
- John J. Phillips (1887–1983), United States Congressman[8]
- William Powell (1892–1984), actor and associate producer[8]
- William David Powell (1925–1968), TV writer[8]
- Marjorie Rambeau (1889–1970), actress
- Rebel Randall (1921–2010, born Alaine C. Brandes), American actress
- Pete Reiser (1919–1981), baseball player
- Jilly Rizzo (1917–1992), restaurateur and entertainer[8]
- Frank Scully (1892–1964) author, journalist, humorist, and columnist
- Ginny Simms (aka, Virginia E. Eastvold) (1913–1994), actress[8]
- Anthony Martin Sinatra (1892–1969), professional boxer, bar owner and the father of Frank Sinatra
- Barbara Sinatra (1926–2017), model and showgirl, wife of Frank Sinatra[8]
- Dolly Sinatra (1896–1977), mother of Frank Sinatra
- Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), singer and actor[8]
- Suzanne Somers (1946–2023), actress
- Shirley Spork (1927–2022), golfer
- Jimmy Van Heusen (1913–1990, born Edward C. Babcock), American composer
- Philip "Mickey" Weintraub (1907–1987), MLB player
- Ralph Young (1923–2008), singer and actor[8]
See also
edit- Coachella Valley Public Cemetery
- Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) – across Ramon Road from Desert Memorial Park
- List of cemeteries in Riverside County, California
- List of cemeteries in California
References
edit- ^ "USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)". Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ Brooks, Patricia; Brooks, Jonathan (2006). "Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert". Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 238–245. ISBN 978-0762741014. OCLC 70284362.
- ^ The Palm Springs Cemetery District itself was covers 504 square miles, including Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms, and Rancho Mirage. See: Robinson, Nancy (1992). Palm Springs History Handbook. Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Public Library. p. 7. OCLC 31595834.
- ^ The Palm Springs Cemetery District is a Special District established under California's Special District Law. See: Kimia Mizany and April Manatt, California Senate Local Government Committee, What's So Special About Special Districts? A Citizen's Guide to Special Districts in California (Third Edition) Archived 2011-07-04 at the Wayback Machine 2002
- ^ "Palm Springs Cemetery District". Archived from the original on 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
- ^ "National LGBT Veterans Memorial". www.gayveteransmemorial.com. 2011–2012. Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ Ring, Trudy (2018). "California Becomes First State to Honor LGBTQ Veterans". Advocate.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Palm Springs Cemetery District, 'Interments of Interest'" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-30.