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Rose Hills Memorial Park
Gate 1 entrance sign

Details
Established	1914
Location	Whittier, California
Country	United States
Coordinates	34°00′36″N 118°01′26″W / 34.01000°N 118.02389°W / 34.01000; -118.02389
Owned by	Dignity Memorial
Size	1,400 acres (570 ha)^[1]
Website	www.rosehills.com
Find a Grave	Rose Hills Memorial Park

Rose Hills Memorial Park is a cemetery and mortuary located in Whittier, California. It is owned and operated by Service Corporation International (formerly Loewen Group) and claims to be the largest cemetery in North America.^[2]

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.^[3]

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. It is located behind El Portal de la Paz Mausoleum.
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, a glass building 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 to 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.
Saint Nicholas Chapel, established in 1999 by Greek Orthodox Memorial & Cultural Foundation of Southern California, as an independent Non-Profit Religious Corporation supporting the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco.

Gardens

Cherry Blossom Lawn, a Japanese garden with 2-acre Lake of the Roses (0.81 ha) and an Azumaya (meditation house).^[4]

Notable burials

Dorothy Abbott (1920–1968), actress
Alvin Ailey (1931–1989), dancer
Lamar Allen (1914–1989), baseball player
Troy Archer (1955–1979), football player
Lewis Arquette (1935–2001), actor
George W. C. Baker (1872–1953), politician
Jerry Barber (1916–1994), golfer
Griff Barnett (1884–1958), actor
Keith Black (1926–1991), racing engineer
Marlin Briscoe (1945–2023), football player
Dominic Brooklier (1914–1984), mobster
Timothy Carey (1929–1994), actor
Ken Carson (1914–1994), country singer
Bobby Castillo (1955–2014), baseball player
Bob Chandler (1949–1995), football player
Boyd Coddington (1944–2008), hot rod builder
Charley Cowan (1938–1988), football player
Donfeld (1934–2007), costume designer
Kathryn Eames (1908–2004), actress
Eazy-E (1964–1995), rapper
Ted Edwards (1884–1945), actor
Sally S. Emory (1864–1959), philanthropist
Jaime Escalante (1930–2010), educator
Ron Glass (1945–2016), actor
Mary Gordon (1882–1963), actress
Bryan Gregory (1951–2001), guitarist
Nathan W. Hale (1860–1941), politician
Pearl Hart (1871–1955), outlaw
Walt Hazzard (1942–2011), basketball player
Harold A. Henry (1895–1966), newspaper publisher and politician
Dick Hoerner (1922–2010), football player
Wally Hood (1895–1965), baseball player
William Hopper (1915–1970), actor
Clara Horton (1904–1976), actress
Gladys Hulette (1896–1991), actress
Anthony Johnson (1966–2021), actor
Louis Johnson (1955–2015), bassist
T. C. Jones (1920–1971), female impersonator
Goodwin Knight (1896–1970), politician
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (1930–2011), politician, Prime Minister of South Vietnam
Jack Larson (1928–2015), actor
Tommy Lasorda (1927–2021), baseball player and manager
Billy Laughlin (1932–1948), actor
Bob Leach (1914–2008), journalist and author
Guan Linzheng (1905–1980), Chinese general
Keye Luke (1904–1991), actor
Link Lyman (1898–1972), football player
Dave MacDonald (1936–1964), racing driver
Linda Martinez (1975–2015), pianist and composer
Chuck McMurtry (1937–2014), football player
Felicitas Méndez (1916–1998), civil rights activist.^[5]
Bob Meusel (1896–1977), baseball player
Haing S. Ngor (1940–1996), actor
Lupe Ontiveros (1942–2012), actress
Hsin Ping (1938–1995), Buddhist monk
Rosa Porto (1930–2019), baker and businesswoman
Hugh Prosser (1907–1952), actor.
Arden Siemers (1933-2013), city planner, budget analyst
John Spenkelink (1949–1979), convicted murderer
Robin Stille (1961–1996), actress
Mark St. John (1956–2007), guitarist
Miiko Taka (1925–2023), actress
Felicia Tang (1977–2009), actress and model
Mickey Thompson (1928–1988), racing driver
Joseph Tommasi (1951–1975), American Nazi Party leader
Thuy Trang (1973–2001), actress
Dương Văn Minh (1916–2001), politician, President of South Vietnam
Alan Wiggins (1958–1991), baseball player
Ellen Beach Yaw (1869–1947), opera singer
Hazrat Peer wo Murshid Abulfatah Syed Nusrat Sahab Qibla Tashreefullahi RH (1935–2023), Prominent Spiritual Minister of Mahdavia Muslim Community.