"Personal Plots" at La Vista Memorial Park

This article by David Hasemeyer was published in the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper on 28 November 2004 - it is online here at SignOnSanDiego.

The article describes the non-endowed area, called Rest Haven, in the La Vista Memorial Park in National City, California. There are descriptions, and photos, of several of the very personal plots, grave markers and memorials - there are essentially no rules for grave markers in Rest Haven. There are other parts of La Vista Memorial Park that are endowed - meaning they are kept mowed and cleaned, but there are some rules about grave marker types and sizes in these areas.

The article notes:

"Endowed cemeteries give the impression that the dead are remembered because the landscape is constantly groomed by maintenance workers. But at Rest Haven it's clear that only relatives and friends can truly keep a memory alive. "

and:

"About 1,000 people are buried on Rest Haven's four acres and about 1,000 more graves could be added if the cemetery decides to sell any more. "

[Former La Vista manager Ruth] Cook surveyed the cemetery with a look of tenderness and pity for those who have been unattended for decades. "All of these headstones make you feel that they were somebody who meant something at some time to somebody," she said. "I can imagine the day when families would gather."

I enjoy wandering around the Rest Haven part of La Vista Memorial Park. Some of the monuments and memorials are impressive, some are very simple, but they all commemorate the passing of a loved one.

My Carringer great-great-grandparents are buried here, as are Frederick and Elizabeth (Seaver) Blanchard, cousins from Massachusetts.