Rose Hills Memorial Park

Rose Hills Memorial Park

Details
Established	1914
Location	Whittier, California
Country	United States
Coordinates
Owned by	Service Corporation International
Size	1,400 acres (570 ha)
Number of graves	≈280,000
Website	Rosehills.com
Find a Grave	Rose Hills Memorial Park at Find a Grave

Rose Hills Memorial Park is located in Whittier, California. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International (formerly, Loewen Group).

Facilities and services

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.

Sites

Mausoleums

• Whittier Heights Mausoleum, built in 1917 as "Mausoleum #1" or "The Little Mausoleum", was the second public mausoleum in California (the first being at Anaheim Cemetery in Anaheim) and portrays a sense of early California architecture with its Spanish Renaissance influence.
• Over a period of years, four garden mausoleums (Terrace of Memories, Court of Eternal Light, Mausoleum of the Valley, and Lakeview Mausoleum) were constructed.
• El Portal de la Paz (Doorway of Peace) was 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 hallways are named for the California Missions.
• The Buddhist Columbarium: Built in 1999, located on 2.5 acres (10,000 m²) at the highest elevation of Rose Hills, is the largest Buddhist pagoda 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 Shan's Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights.

Chapels

• Rainbow Chapel, built in 1942 as "Rose Chapel", is an example of early California Mission architecture. This chapel features large windows overlooking gardens and has a maximum seating capacity of 90 people.
• Hillside Chapel, built in 1956, 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-foot (6.7 m)-high windows. Hillside Chapel seats up to 182 people. This building is said to have perfect acoustics.
• Sky Church, also completed in 1956, was destroyed by the Whittier earthquake of 1987.
• Memorial Chapel has three tall, white spires. It was completed in 1964 as a memorial to John D. Gregg, President of Rose Hills from 1950–1959 and son of Rose Hills founder Augustus Gregg. Memorial Chapel seats approximately 192 people.
• SkyRose Chapel is on a central hilltop with a view of the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles Skylines to the West and Sycamore Valley to the East. SkyRose Chapel seats 300 people. The building consists of three levels, the upper containing a custom Quimby pipe organ, one of the largest in the Los Angeles area. The lower level is an 11,200 sq. ft. mausoleum. The corridors of the mausoleum are named for the woods used in the building's construction.

Gardens

• Cherry Blossom Lawn, a Japanese Garden with 2-acre Lake of the Roses (0.81 ha) and an Azumaya (meditation house).

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 bailiff for Judge Joseph Wapner, The People's Court
• Timothy Carey, actor
• Boyd Coddington, Hot Rod Builder, owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of American Hot Rod
• Dương Văn Minh, President of South Vietnam
• Jaime Escalante, educator
• Bryan Gregory, musician, guitarist for The Cramps
• Nathan Wesley Hale, American politician
• Harold A. Henry, Los Angeles City Council president
• William Hopper, actor
• Clara Horton, actress
• Goodwin Knight, 31st Governor of California
• Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, Prime Minister of South Vietnam
• Jack Larson, actor, played Jimmy Olsen on Adventures of Superman
• Billy Laughlin, actor, played Froggy in Our Gang
• Keye Luke, Chinese-born American actor
• Dave MacDonald, IndyCar driver
• Felicitas Mendez an American civil rights pioneer.
• Bob Meusel, baseball player of the 1920s
• Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian American physician and actor, winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, 1984
• Members of the Richard Nixon family (his parents, Francis A. and Hannah, and his brothers: Harold, Donald, and Arthur; Richard & Patricia Nixon are buried at his presidential library in Yorba Linda.)
• Hsin Ping, Buddhist monk, fourth and fifth abbot of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order in Taiwan (portion of ashes)
• John Arthur Spenkelink, second man to be executed after the reintroduction of the death penalty in the United States
• Mickey Thompson, American racing legend
• Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-born American actress who was cremated here, played Trini Kwan/Yellow Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
• Duong Van Minh, South Vietnamese President from 1963 – 1964 and 1975
• Eazy-E (Eric Wright), American Gangster rapper, hip hop producer, and record executive

External links

• Official Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary website
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rose Hills Memorial Park