Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. 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 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 of South Dakotan mahogany granite with the logo of American Veterans for Equal Rights on it.

Notable interments

Among those buried here are: * Chris Alcaide (1923–2004), actor * William Milton Asher (1922–2004), American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter * Busby Berkeley (1895–1976), motion picture director and

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

choreographer * Sonny Bono (1935–1998, born Salvatore Phillip Bono), record producer, singer, actor, politician, first husband of

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

* Lorayne Brox (1901–1993), one of the Brox Sisters singing group *

Bob Cobert Robert Cobert (October 26, 1924 – February 19, 2020) was an American composer who worked in television and films. He is best known for his work with producer/director Dan Curtis, notably the scores for the massively popular, now-cult 1966–7 ...

(1924–2020), television music composer * Lawrence L. Crossley (1899–1962), Palm Springs businessman, pioneer, and first black resident *

Velma Wayne Dawson Velma Wayne Dawson (May 30, 1912, Sydney, Australia – September 26, 2007) was an American puppet maker and puppeteer. She was best known for creating Howdy Doody marionettes for the ''Howdy Doody Show''. Dawson built only two classic Howdy ...

(1912–2007), puppeteer and creator of Howdy Doody *

Brad Dexter Brad Dexter (born Boris Michel Soso; April 9, 1917 – December 12, 2002) was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles, including the 1960 film ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), and producing several fil ...

(1917–2002), actor and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

* Alex Dreier (1916–2000), broadcaster and actor * Jolie Gabor (1896–1997), mother of the Gabor sisters * Magda Gabor (1915–1997), one of the Gabor sisters * Louis Galen (1925–2007), philanthropist and banker * Neva Gerber (1894–1974), silent film actress * Bill Goodwin (1910–1958), television announcer * Irving Green (1916–2006), founder of Mercury Records * Earle Hagen (1919–2008), composer * Claude Harmon (1916–1989), golfer * Josephine Hill (1899–1989), actress *

Roy W. Hill Roy William Hill (December 1, 1899 – February 14, 1986) was an automobile dealer, philanthropist, and early trustee and benefactor of Eisenhower Medical Center. Early years Hill was the son of Maurice C. Hill, a sheet metal worker, and Bulah A ...

(1899–1986), philanthropist * Eddy Howard (1915–1963), singer * Betty Hutton (1921–2007), singer and actress * Jennings Lang (1915–1996), film producer * Andrea Leeds (1914–1984), actress * Benjamin Lees (1924–2010), composer * Diana "Mousie" Lewis (1919–1997), actress *

Frederick Loewe Frederick Loewe (, originally German Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe ; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988) was an Austrian-United States, American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including ''Br ...

(1901–1988), composer *

Patrick Macnee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much ...

(1922–2015), actor * Marian Marsh (1913–2006), actress *

David J. McDonald David John McDonald (November 22, 1902 – August 8, 1979) was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1952 to 1965. Early life McDonald was born in 1902 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to David and Mary ( ...

(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 John Phillips (September 11, 1887 – December 18, 1983) was an American businessman and veteran of World War I who served seven terms a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California from 1943 to 1957. Early life and career John ...

(1887–1983), United States Congressman * William Powell (1892–1984), actor and associate producer * William David Powell (1925–1968), TV writer * Marjorie Rambeau (1889–1970), actress * Rebel Randall (1921–2010, born Alaine C. Brandes), American actress * Pete Reiser (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 Stre ...

(1917–1992), restaurateur and entertainer * Frank Scully (1892–1964) author, journalist, humorist, and columnist * Ginny Simms (aka Virginia E. Eastvold) (1913–1994), actress * Anthony Martin Sinatra (1892–1969), professional boxer, bar owner and the father of Frank Sinatra * Barbara Sinatra (1927–2017), model and showgirl, wife of Frank Sinatra *

Dolly Sinatra Dolly Sinatra (; born Natalina Maria Vittoria Garaventa; ; December 26, 1896 – January 6, 1977) was the mother of American singer Frank Sinatra. She was born in Lumarzo ( Province of Genoa), in northern Italy; she immigrated to the United State ...

, (1896–1977), mother of Frank Sinatra *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

(1915–1998), singer and actor * Shirley Spork (1927–2022), golfer *

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

(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 {{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