National Memorial Park

National Memorial Park
Fountain of Faith sculpture garden
Details
Established	1933 (1933)
Location	7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia 22042
Country	United States
Coordinates	38°52′43″N 77°12′09″W
Owned by	Service Corporation International, Houston, Texas
Size	168 acres
No. of graves	35,000
Website	[1]
Find a Grave	National Memorial Park

National Memorial Park is a cemetery in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Virginia. The cemetery is part of the National Funeral Home and National Memorial Park complex, which includes several related memorial and end-of-life services. The cemetery covers 168 acres, lined with fountains, trees, gardens, and sculptures. The complex is owned by Houston-based Service Corporation International.

History

In 1933, local businessman Robert Marlowe purchased a Falls Church dairy farm. Over the years, the property and businesses expanded to include funeral, bereavement, cremation and burial services, as well as a pet cemetery. The funeral home, cemetery and related services are available to people of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds.

In 2009, The Washington Post reported that the facility was storing naked bodies in various stages of decomposition. As many as 200 bodies were stored on "makeshift gurneys in the garage" and "at least half a dozen veterans destined for the hallowed ground at Arlington National Cemetery were left in their coffins on a garage rack."

Family members of an Army veteran whose remains were stored in an unrefrigerated garage asked the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney to investigate the actions of the funeral home. The family of retired U.S. Army Colonel Andrew DeGraff filed a lawsuit alleging that the colonel's remains had been mishandled.

In January 2001, approximately 174 bodies were transferred to National Memorial Park cemetery from the nearby Abbey Mausoleum, which was being closed and demolished following years of disrepair and vandalism.

Services

The complex is the centralized embalming and dressing station for other local funeral homes, sometimes including Arlington National Cemetery

The site partners with veterans service organizations to offer specialized services to veterans and their families. The site designs custom funeral services. Examples include memorials that incorporate a decedent's favorite song, pastime, family, or ethnic traditions.

Landscape

Memorial park covers 168 acres, including ponds, sculptures, greenery, and various floral arrangements. Designed as a walkable area, the cemetery contains walking paths and trees to provide shade and cover. The cemetery offers various options for internment, including ground burial sites, a mausoleum, cremation niches and benches, and private and semiprivate estates.

Features

A prominent feature of the cemetery is the Living Cross, a 1,000-foot garden that includes the Fountain of Faith, designed by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. The site also includes white marble sculptures of Christ's Last Supper, as well as a genizah located in its King David Memorial Gardens.

The cemetery has several areas commemorating national events and tragedies, such as the attacks of September 11, 2001. Most prominent among these is the Four Chaplains Memorial, a sculpture representing a flying white bird. Created by abstract artist Constantino Nivol, the memorial honors the 4 United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save civilian and military personnel when the World War II-era SS Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943.

Pet Cemetery

The complex includes Noah's Ark Pet Cemetery, housing rows of neatly configured graves for dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

Carl Milles works

Carl Milles’s Fountain of Faith includes sculpted bronze figures depicting men, women and children in the afterlife. The Fountain has been considered the culmination of the Swedish sculptor's distinguished career. The 1952 dedication event attracted an estimated 24,000 attendees. The Fountain has been covered in national publications such as Time magazine and the Washington Post, which noted that during his time on the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote to Arlington, Virginia officials to ask that their police become more familiar with the Fountain of Faith so that they might give citizens better directions to visit it.

Milles also created 3 15-foot statues titled "The Sun Singer." One is in Stockholm, 1 is in Monticello, Illinois, and 1 is in National Memorial Park. The statue depicts the Greek god Apollo and his winged horse Pegasus.

Notable burials

• Philip Pitt Campbell (1862–1941), U.S. Congressman from Kansas, 1903 to 1924.
• Charles Forrest Curry (1858–1930), U.S. Congressman from California, 1913 to 1930.
• Blossom Dearie (1924–2009), American jazz singer and dancer.
• Frances Foster (1924–1997), late 20th Century television and movie actress.
• Frank Howard (baseball) (1936–2023), All-Star outfielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball
• Clay Kirby (1948–1991), Major League Baseball player, 1969 to 1976.
• Pietro Lazzari (1895 to 1979), 20th Century sculptor.
• Oscar Raymond Luhring (1879–1944), U.S. Congressman from Indiana, 1919 to 1923, U.S. Circuit Court judge, 1930 to 1944.
• Wayne Vernal Millner (1913 to 1976), Hall of Fame professional football player from 1936 to 1941, World War II veteran.
• Lyn Nofziger (1924 to 2006), Political journalist and Reagan Administration appointee.
• Jim Ricca (1927–2007), American professional football player in the 1950s.
• Kyle Rote (1927–2002), Professional football player from 1951 to 1961.
• Harry Richard Sheppard (1885–1869), U.S. Congressman from California, 1937 to 1965.
• Paul Allman Siple (1908 to 1968), 20th Century Antarctic scientist and explorer.