"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.

Memorial Day at La Vista Memorial Park

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The La Vista Memorial Park and Mausoleum are having their fifth annual Memorial Day Celebration from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, 31 May. The Park is located at 3191 Orange Street in National City CA, 91950.

The flyer announcing this event is below:

There will be food, beverages and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. As a special treat, dignitaries (I wonder who?) will be rolling up their sleeves and serving up the refreshments.

There will be the unveiling of a monument dedicated to the "Gone but not Forgotten" by La Vista Memorial Park and the San Diego County Administrator, Public Guardian.

Homemade Memorial at La Vista Memorial Park

There are a number of homemade memorials at La Vista Memorial Park in the unendowed section of the cemetery. Here is one for Margaret E. Miller (no relation of mine):

There is a homemade cross with Margaret's name, birth date and death date, anchored by a concrete brick, at the head of the gravestone. The concrete gravestone presumably lies over the coffin, and has Margaret's name, birth date, death date and relationships on it, plus signatures of loved ones.

Unfortunately, the gravestone has already cracked in several places. I wonder which will last longer - the cross or the gravestone?

The La Vista GAR Memorial and Civil War soldiers

There is a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Memorial at La Vista Memorial Park, just east of the office building and just west of the entrance road. The memorial stone is:


I took this photo, and the one below, on 12 November 2008, just after Veterans Day. The photo below shows small flags placed on the stones in the GAR Bivouac area:



I went back to La Vista and took photographs of each of the stones in this area. They are:

Inscription:

F.H. Reckel

Co. K.

113 Ill. Inf.

Inscription:

John C. Darville

11 Ill. Cav.

Inscription:

Capt.

J.W. Heath

Co. E.

10 Minn. Inf.

Inscription:

Julius N.

McFarland

Indiana

Pvt. 1 Cl., 17 Inf.

October 23, 1913

Inscription:

Capt.

Francis T. Moore

Co. L.

2 Ill. Cav.

Inscription:

Johnston Winters

Co. B

102 Ohio Inf.

There is an upright stone in this area with a Civil War veteran:

Inscription:

Rev. T.R. Palmer, D.D.

Lt. Col. 13th Mich. Vol. Inf.

Dec. 6, 1829

July 2, 1920

La Vista Memorial Park video

The homeless and indigent in San Diego County have a new burial place - at La Vista Memorial Park in National City, one of the oldest cemeteries in San Diego County.

Watch a 3 minute video here. This was shown on the NBC-TV news outlet in San diego on 7 April 2009.

La Vista contracted with the county to bury indigent persons, many of whom have no known next-of-kin. The County previously buried indigents at Mount Hope Cemetery in San Diego.

Thank you to reader Netito for the link.

Some La Vista grave sites

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The grave stones and monuments in the Unendowed section at La Vista Memorial Park in National City are unique. There is no uniformity in them. Some are very simple, like this one - a simple cross with an inscription:


Some are quite full of artificial flowers and other things to remember their loved one:

This one sort of haunts me - a simple post with a pillow for the living to come and sit with their loved one. Note the small shrine:

We all grieve for our loved ones (and never known too!) in different ways. It is especially hard to grieve for those taken too soon from us.

Civil War Soldiers buried at La Vista Cemetery in National City CA

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There is a G.A.R. section at La Vista Memorial Park in National City, California with a number of well-kept in-ground graves and a monument to the men buried there.

Out in the "non-endowment" area of the cemetery are several stones that bear notations that commemorate Civil War veterans. The ones I saw and photographed (before my camera juice ran out today) were these:

1) David Palmanteer:

David Palmanteer,

Co. K,

?? PA Inf.

[note, the flag obscures some of the stone. I didn't see any years):

2. Leonard F. Davis:

Lieut. L.F. Davis

Co. "A"

21 Wis. Inf.

There are additional in-ground stones (above the front one) for Leonard F. Davis and his wife that read:

Leonard F. Davis

1825-1906

and

Sarah E. Trimble

wife of

Leonard F. Davis

born

Aug. 6, 1831

died

Oct. 13, 1890

3) B.F. Fletcher

....

B.F. Fletcher

Co. A

16th ME. Inf.

I will go back to La Vista soon to see if I can find more Civil War soldiers gravestones and photograph the stones in the G.A.R. memorial area.
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The Kimballs at La Vista Cemetery

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The Kimball brothers were early settlers and large landholders in the southern part of San Diego County.

Two Kimball stones and several others of related persons are in a fenced yard at La Vista Memorial Park in National City.

The fenced area has a monument outside thel ocked gate:


Thei nscription reads:

KIMBALL MEMORIAL
Founders
National City, California
1887

Restored 1990

Warren C. Kimball's stone is at the east end of the fenced yard.



Warren O. Kimball's inscription reads:

Warren O. Kimball
Born in Hopkinton, N.H.
July 19, 1829
May 9, 1913

The Frank A. Kimball stone is at the west end of the fenced yard:


The inscription of Frank A. Kimball's stone reads:

Frank A. Kimball
Born Jan. 26, 1832
Died Aug. 11, 1913

The history of National City and the lives of the Kimball Brothers are summarized in an article in the Journal of San Diego History titled National City in Review by Irene Phillips (Volume 8, No. 2, April 1962).

Another biography of Frank A. Kimball is found in Chapter 4 of the book History of San Diego, 1542-1908, by William E. Smythe.