Rose Hills Memorial Park
Encyclopedia
Rose Hills Memorial Park is the largest cemetery
in the United States and is located in Whittier, California
. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International
(formerly, Loewen Group
).
Four garden mausoleums (Terrace of Memories, Court of Eternal Light, Mausoleum of the Valley, and Lakeview Mausoleum) and four chapels (Rainbow Chapel, Hillside Chapel, Memorial Chapel, and SkyRose Chapel) were also built.
In 1942, Rose Hills completed the installation of its crematorium, and in 1956 Rose Hills Mortuary and Flower Shop were opened, making Rose Hills one of the first cemeteries in the country to offer all the necessary services and facilities for memorialization. Also in 1956, Hillside Chapel and Sky Church were completed. Sky Church was destroyed by the Whittier earthquake of 1987.
.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the United States and is located in Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International
Service Corporation International
For other uses of the acronym SCI, see SCIService Corporation International is North America’s largest provider of end-of-life arrangements and services. With its headquarters in Neartown, Houston, Texas, United States, SCI operates more than 1500 funeral homes and 400 cemeteries in 43 states,...
(formerly, Loewen Group
Alderwoods Group
Alderwoods Group, formally The Alderwoods Group, Inc., was a provider of funeral, cremation, and cemetery services in North America with operations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico...
).
Mausoleums and Chapels
In 1917, a small indoor mausoleum named "The Whittier Heights Mausoleum" after a short time as "Mausoleum 1", the second indoor mausoleum in California, was opened on the grounds of the then Whittier Heights Cemetery. In 1929, construction began on the first phase of the El Portal de la Paz (Doorway to Peace) mausoleum.Four garden mausoleums (Terrace of Memories, Court of Eternal Light, Mausoleum of the Valley, and Lakeview Mausoleum) and four chapels (Rainbow Chapel, Hillside Chapel, Memorial Chapel, and SkyRose Chapel) were also built.
In 1942, Rose Hills completed the installation of its crematorium, and in 1956 Rose Hills Mortuary and Flower Shop were opened, making Rose Hills one of the first cemeteries in the country to offer all the necessary services and facilities for memorialization. Also in 1956, Hillside Chapel and Sky Church were completed. Sky Church was destroyed by the Whittier earthquake of 1987.
Popularity
In Southern California, Rose Hills also provides services for adherents of Feng ShuiFeng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
.
Mausoleums
- Whittier Heights Mausoleum: Built in 1917, is considered to be the second public mausoleum built in California and portrays a sense of early California architecture with its Spanish Renaissance influence.
- El Portal de la Paz (Doorway of Peace): Dedicated in 1930 as part of the initial expansion program at the cemetery. Complete with an enclosed outdoor garden and fountain, Rose Hills' second mausoleum reflects California's early Spanish Mission era.
- The Buddhist ColumbariumColumbariumA columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
: Built in 1999, located on 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) at the highest elevation of Rose Hills, is the largest Buddhist pagodaPagodaA pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
in the United States. The three-story structure, containing 21,000 niches for the interment of cremated remains, is supported by crimson pillars and golden glazed tiles replicating the architecture of ancient Chinese palaces. The pagoda is associated with Fo Guang ShanFo Guang ShanFo Guang Shan is an international Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order based in the Republic of China , and one of the largest Buddhist organizations. The headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, located in Kaohsiung, is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization itself is also one of...
's Hsi Lai TempleHsi Lai TempleFo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple is a traditional Chinese Buddhist mountain monastery in the United States. It is located on the foothill region of Hacienda Heights, California, USA, a suburb of Los Angeles County...
in Hacienda Heights, CA.
Chapels
- Rainbow Chapel: Built in 1942 and originally named "Rose Chapel", Rainbow Chapel is an example of early California Mission architecture. This chapel features large windows overlooking gardens and has a maximum seating capacity of 55 people.
- Hillside Chapel: Built in 1956, Hillside Chapel is a contemporary diamond-shaped structure surrounded by a garden area. The interior was created for an effect of a sunrise through its rose-tinted skylight and 22 feet (6.7 m)-high windows. Hillside Chapel seats up to 182 people. This building has perfect acoustics.
- Memorial Chapel has three tall, white spireSpireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s. It was completed in 1964 as a memorial to John D. Gregg (president of Rose Hills from 1950 - 1959) and son of founder, Augustus Gregg. Memorial Chapel seats approximately 192 people. - SkyRose Chapel is on a central hilltop site with a view of the San Gabriel ValleySan Gabriel ValleyThe San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
, Los Angeles Skylines to the West and Sycamore Valley to the East. Skyrose Chapel seats 300 people and contains one of the largest pipe organs in the Los Angeles area.
Notable burials
- Alvin Ailey, Jr., African American modern dancer.
- George W.C. Baker, Los Angeles City Council member, 1931–35
- Rusty Burrell, Los Angeles County Superior Court sheriff's deputy, and bailiffBailiffA bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
for Judge Joseph WapnerJoseph WapnerJoseph Albert Wapner is a former American judge and TV personality of the real-life courtroom-style show The People's Court, which ran in syndication from 1981 to 1993 for 2,484 episodes....
, The People's Court - Jaime EscalanteJaime EscalanteJaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez was a Bolivian educator well-known for teaching students calculus from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School, East Los Angeles, California...
, educator - Harold A. HenryHarold A. HenryNot to be confused with Harold Harby, Los Angeles City Council member 1943–57.Harold A. Henry was a community newspaper publisher who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1945 and was its president for four terms from 1947 to 1962....
, Los Angeles City Council president - Nathan Wesley Hale, American politician.
- Clara HortonClara HortonClara Horton was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 88 films between 1912 and 1942. She is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
, actress. - William HopperWilliam HopperWilliam Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
, actor. - Goodwin KnightGoodwin KnightGoodwin Jess Knight , known as "Goodie Knight", was a U.S. politician who was the 31st Governor of California from 1953 until 1959.-Early life:...
, 31st Governor of CaliforniaGovernor of CaliforniaThe Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
. - Billy LaughlinBilly LaughlinWilliam Robert "Billy" Laughlin was an American child actor. He is best known for playing the character Froggy in the Our Gang short films in its final stretch, from 1940 to 1944.-Career:...
, actor. - Keye LukeKeye LukeKeye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
, Chinese-born American actor, voice of BrakBrak (character)Brak is a supervillain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy...
on Space GhostSpace GhostSpace Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space... - Dave MacDonaldDave MacDonaldDavid George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led...
, IndyCarAmerican Championship Car RacingSince 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
driver. - Bob MeuselBob MeuselRobert William "Bob" Meusel was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees...
, baseball player of the 1920s. - Hsin PingHsin PingHsin Ping was the fourth and fifth abbot of Fo Guang Shan and the dharma heir to Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan. Hsin Ping was the forty-ninth lineage-holder of the Linji Ch'an school through Hsing Yun....
, Buddhist monk, fourth and fifth abbot of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist orderFo Guang ShanFo Guang Shan is an international Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order based in the Republic of China , and one of the largest Buddhist organizations. The headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, located in Kaohsiung, is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization itself is also one of...
in TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(portion of ashes). - Haing S. NgorHaing S. NgorDr. Haing Somnang Ngor was a Cambodian American physician, actor and author who is best known for winning the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his debut performance in the movie The Killing Fields, in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee Dith Pran. His mother was...
, Cambodian American physician and actor, winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
, 1984. - John Arthur Spenkelink, second man to be executed in the electric chair after the reintroduction of the death penalty in the United States.
- Mickey ThompsonMickey ThompsonMarion Lee "Mickey" Thompson was an American off-road racing legend. He won many championships as a racer, and later formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group . He also raced in dragsters and land speed record automobiles.Thompson was born in Alhambra,...
, American racing legend. - Eazy-EEazy-EEric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
(Eric Wright), American Gangster rapper, hip hop producer, and record executive. - Thuy TrangThuy TrangThuy Trang was a Vietnamese American actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.-Early life:...
, Vietnamese-born American actress who was cremated here, played Trini KwanTrini KwanTrini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
/Yellow Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months... - Duong Van MinhDuong Van MinhMinh was born on 16 February 1916 in Mỹ Tho Province in the Mekong Delta, the son of a wealthy landowner who served in a prominent position in the Finance Ministry of the French colonial administration...
, South Vietnamese President from 1963 - 1964 and 1975 - Boyd CoddingtonBoyd CoddingtonBoyd Leon Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.-Early life, education and early career :...
, Hot Rod Builder, owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot RodAmerican Hot RodAmerican Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2008 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The show documented the crew at Boyd Coddington's car shop and their personal struggles to build hot rods and custom vehicles under extremely tight deadlines....
.