Desert Memorial Park, Public cemetery in Cathedral City, United States.
Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, near Palm Springs, California, opened in 1956 and maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District. Its grounds hold the graves of Frank Sinatra, Sonny Bono, Betty Hutton and Busby Berkeley, and the LGBTQ Veterans Memorial, an obelisk of South Dakotan mahogany granite dedicated in 2001.
The cemetery was established by the Palm Springs Cemetery District on October 31, 1956, with the first burial occurring in 1957. This marked the opening of a new burial ground in the region.
American Veterans Post 66 dedicated the LGBTQ veterans memorial here in 2001; in 2018 California Assembly Bill 2439 made it the state's official LGBTQ veterans memorial, and a second plaque was added to the obelisk of South Dakotan mahogany granite, which carries the logo of American Veterans for Equal Rights.
The grounds are open daily from 7 AM to 5 PM, while the district office operates Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Visitors should note that services and access may be limited outside these hours.
The cemetery holds the grave of Sonny Bono, the singer and politician who died in a skiing accident in 1998, and of Frank Sinatra, buried here in 1998 alongside his parents Anthony Martin and Dolly. Lawrence Crossley, Palm Springs' first black resident, is also interred on the grounds.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,714 contributors worldwide.