Desert Memorial Park is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Cathedral City, California Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second larg ...

, United States, near

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

. Opening in 1956 and receiving its first interment in 1957,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: it is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District. The District also maintains the Welwood Murray Cemetery in Palm Springs.

LGBTQ Veterans Memorial

In 2001 American Veterans Post 66 dedicated a memorial at the cemetery honoring all

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

veterans. 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 An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

of South Dakotan mahogany granite with the logo of

American Veterans for Equal Rights American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) is the oldest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Veterans Service Organization (VSO) in the United States. Founded in 1990, AVER is a non-profit VSO that supports and advocates for the rights o ...

on it.

Notable interments

Among those buried here are: *

Chris Alcaide John Thomas Berger (October 22, 1923 – June 30, 2004) was an American film and television actor. He mostly appeared on western television shows including, ''Gunsmoke'', ''Bonanza'', '' Rawhide'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''Trackdown'', ...

(1923–2004), actor * William Milton Asher (1922–2004), American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter *

Busby Berkeley Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berke ...

(1895–1976), motion picture director and musical choreographer *

Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...

(1935–1998, born Salvatore Phillip Bono), record producer, singer, actor, politician, first husband of Cher * 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 * Velma Wayne Dawson (1912–2007), puppeteer and creator of

Howdy Doody ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F Campbell

* Brad Dexter (1917–2002), actor and film producer *

Alex Dreier Alexander M. Dreier (June 26, 1916 – March 11, 2000) was an American news reporter and commentator who worked with NBC Radio during the 1940s, and later with the ABC Information Radio network in the 1960s and early 1970s. Dreier then became a ...

(1916–2000), broadcaster and actor *

Jolie Gabor Jolie Gabor, Countess de Szigethy (born Janka Tilleman; September 30, 1896 – April 1, 1997) was a Hungarian-born American jeweler and socialite, known as the mother of actresses and fellow socialites Magda, Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor. Family ...

(1896–1997), mother of the

Gabor sisters The Gabor sisters were three Hungarian-American actresses/socialites: Magda (June 11, 1915 – June 6, 1997), Zsa Zsa (February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016), and Eva (February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995). Born in Budapest, Hungary, the trio ...

Magda Gabor Magdolna "Magda" Gabor (June 11, 1915 – June 6, 1997) was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite, and the elder sister of Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor. Early life The eldest daughter of a jeweler, Jolie (1896–1997), and a soldier, Vilmos G ...

(1915–1997), one of the

Louis Galen Louis "Lou" Joseph Galen (April 19, 1925 – November 12, 2007) was an American philanthropist. Before he retired he was a successful banker and CEO of Golden West Financial Corporation. Early life Galen moved to Los Angeles at age 6 with his ...

(1925–2007), philanthropist and banker *

Neva Gerber Genevieve Dolores Gerber (April 3, 1894 – January 2, 1974) was an American silent film actress who appeared in more than 120 films between 1912 and 1930. Early life and career She was born in Argenta, Illinois, to S. Nelson Gerber (1870 ...

(1894–1974), silent film actress *

Bill Goodwin William Nettles Goodwin (July 28, 1910 – May 9, 1958),Palm Spr ...

(1910–1958), television announcer *

Irving Green Irving B. Green (also known as Irvin B. Green) (February 6, 1916 – July 1, 2006) was an American record industry executive, and founder and president of Mercury Records. Biography Green was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Sylvia (née L ...

(1916–2006), founder of

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

Earle Hagen Earle Harry Hagen (July 9, 1919 – May 26, 2008) was an American composer who created music for movies and television. His best-known TV themes include those for ''Make Room for Daddy'', ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''I Spy'', ''That Girl'' and ...

(1919–2008), composer *

Claude Harmon Eugene Claude Harmon Sr. (July 14, 1916 – July 23, 1989) was an American professional golfer and golf instructor. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Harmon spent much of his boyhood in Florida, in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, he qualified for ...

(1916–1989), golfer *

Josephine Hill Josephine Hill (October 3, 1899 – December 17, 1989) was an American film actress, primarily during the silent era. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1917 and 1933. Before she worked in films, Hill performed in Gus Edwards's ' ...

(1899–1989), actress * Roy W. Hill (1899–1986), philanthropist *

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California, and after attending San Jose State Coll ...

(1915–1963), singer *

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

(1921–2007), singer and actress *

Jennings Lang Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

(1915–1996), film producer *

Andrea Leeds Andrea Leeds (born Antoinette Lees, August 18, 1913 – May 21, 1984) was an American film actress. A popular supporting player of the late 1930s, Leeds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ''S ...

(1914–1984), actress * Benjamin Lees (1924–2010), composer * Diana "Mousie" Lewis (1919–1997), actress * Frederick Loewe (1901–1988), composer * Patrick Macnee (1922–2015), actor *

Marian Marsh Marian Marsh (born Violet Ethelred Krauth; October 17, 1913 – November 9, 2006) was a Trinidad-born American film actress and later an environmentalist. Early life Violet Ethelred Krauth was born on October 17, 1913, in Trinidad, British ...

(1913–2006), actress * David J. McDonald (1902–1979), labor leader * Maurice "Mac" McDonald (1902–1971), co-founder, with brother Dick, of the original

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

chain * Cameron Mitchell (1918–1994), actor * Hugo Mario Montenegro (1925–1981), orchestra leader and composer * John J. Phillips (1887–1983), United States Congressman *

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

(1892–1984), actor and associate producer *

William David Powell William David Powell (February 27, 1925 – March 13, 1968) was an American television writer and associate producer. Biography Powell was the only child of actor William Powell and actress Eileen Wilson, who divorced in 1930. He graduated fr ...

(1925–1968), TV writer *

Marjorie Rambeau Marjorie Burnet Rambeau (July 15, 1889 – July 6, 1970) was an American film and stage actress. She began her stage career at age 12, and appeared in several silent films before debuting in her first sound film, '' Her Man'' (1930). She was t ...

(1889–1970), actress *

Rebel Randall Rebel Randall (born Alaine Charlotte Dorothy Brandes, January 22, 1922 – July 22, 2010), was an American film actress and radio personality. She appeared in approximately 50 films between 1940 and 1956. Career She was a popular G.I. pin-up ...

(1921–2010, born Alaine C. Brandes), American actress *

Pete Reiser Harold Patrick Reiser (March 17, 1919 – October 25, 1981), nicknamed "Pistol Pete", was an American professional baseball outfielder and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), during the 1940s and early 1950s. While known primarily f ...

(1919–1981), baseball player *

Jilly Rizzo Ermenegildo "Jilly" Rizzo (May 6, 1917 – May 6, 1992) was an American restaurateur and entertainer. Career As a young man, Rizzo worked with his father delivering Italian ice to cafes. Rizzo opened Jilly's Saloon, a lounge on West 49th Stree ...

(1917–1992), restaurateur and entertainer *

Frank Scully Francis Joseph Xavier Scully; (April 28 1892 – June 23 1964) was an American journalist, author, humorist, and a regular columnist for the entertainment trade magazine ''Variety''. Career Scully studied journalism at Columbia University, ...

(1892–1964) author, journalist, humorist, and columnist *

Ginny Simms Virginia Ellen SimmsSleeve notes from ''Ginny Simms – I'd Like To Set You To Music'', Jasmine JASCD 118, 2001. (May 25, 1913 – April 4, 1994) was an American popular singer and film actress. Simms sang with big bands and with Dinah Shore, ...

(aka Virginia E. Eastvold) (1913–1994), actress *

Anthony Martin Sinatra Anthony Martin Sinatra (born Saverio Antonino Martino Sinatra; ; May 4, 1892 – January 24, 1969) was an Italian-born naturalized American, Hoboken city fireman, professional boxer, and bar owner. He was the father of singer and actor Frank Sinat ...

(1892–1969), professional boxer, bar owner and the father of Frank Sinatra *

Barbara Sinatra Barbara Ann Blakeley Oliver Marx Sinatra (March 10, 1927 – July 25, 2017) was an American model, showgirl, socialite and the fourth wife of Frank Sinatra. Early life Barbara Ann Blakeley was born on March 10, 1927 in Bosworth, Missou ...

(1927–2017), model and showgirl, wife of Frank Sinatra * Dolly Sinatra, (1896–1977), mother of Frank Sinatra * Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), singer and actor *

Shirley Spork Shirley G. Spork (May 14, 1927 – April 12, 2022) was an American professional golfer and one of the founders of the LPGA Tour. Spork finished second at the 1962 LPGA Championship. She worked as a teaching professional for many years and wa ...

(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

References

External links

Palm Springs Cemetery District (official website)

Palm Springs District Cemetery USGS Cathedral City Quad, California, Topographic Map
at

TopoZone TopoZone is a website operated by Locality LLC that offers free online topographic maps. It was founded in November 1999 by Ed McNierney whose company Maps a la carte, Inc. operated out of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Prior to founding the c ...

{{LGBT monuments and memorials Mausoleums in the United States Cemeteries in Riverside County, California Cathedral City, California 1956 establishments in California

LGBTQ Veterans Memorial

Notable interments

See also

References

External links