George Jones

Posted in Woodlawn Memorial Park (TN) with tags , , , on February 18, 2014 by Cade

jones1September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013

Up until April of 2013, George Glenn Jones, nicknamed “The Possum,” was considered by many to be the greatest living country singer. Dying has a way of altering that claim, but the legend of The Possum continues. With more than 150 hits spanning his half-century-plus career, Jones’ influence and impact on country music can’t be overstated. He shot to super-stardom  in the early 1960’s with hits like “White Lightnin'” and “She Thinks I Still Care” and enjoyed success for the rest of the decade. Continue reading →

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Brian Keith

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

keith1November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997

Brain Keith began acting at the age of two. He appeared on stage, in dozens of television shows and scores of films. He is probably best known for his role in the original The Parent Trap and for his television shows Family Affair (opposite Sebastian Cabot – who is buried just across the road from Keith) and Hardcastle and McCormick. Alright, so that last one is how I best remember him, but I digress. Keith’s career boasts an impressive number of starring and guest starring roles. He was prolific and busy. In his later life, he suffered from health issues, including emphysema and lung cancer. And in 1997, his daughter, Daisy, committed suicide. Unable to deal with his health and the death of his daughter1, Keith took his own life just two months later. He was interred next to Daisy in Westwood. Continue reading →

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Sebastian Cabot

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

cabot1July 6, 1918 – August 22, 1977

Of course, I could very easily base most of this write up on English actor Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot’s most famous role: that of valet Mr. French on the classic CBS sitcom Family Affair (opposite permanent neighbor, Brian Keith). But, I would rather devote my energy to his stunning turn as Bagheera, the wise panther in Disney’s 1967 masterpiece The Jungle Book. Without the centered and stoic Bagheera, who knows what would have become of the movie’s hero, Mowgli the mancub. Would he have succumbed to the lackadaisical and hapless ways of Baloo, doomed to drift through life without purpose or vision? Would he have been forced to unwillingly hand the secret of fire over to the likable, but dangerous King Louie? Even if he managed to evade these pitfalls, he most CERTAINLY would have been eaten by Kaa. But no, it was Cabot’s Bagheera who steered the young boy safely toward his destiny. And for that, we thank you, Sebastian. Continue reading →

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Dorothy Stratten

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

stratten1February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980

Hollywood. Amiright?

Dorothy Stratten was smack in the middle of her Hollywood dream (by way of becoming Playboy’s Playmate of the Year) when she was murdered by the very man who had hitched his way on her coattails all the way from Vancouver. She had turned her popularity from the men’s magazine into a budding film career and even found herself in a relationship with a real-life Hollywood director. Of course, her jealous (and unstable) husband didn’t like that, so he did what any rational person would do: killed her and himself with a shotgun after an argument about money and divorce.

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Buddy Rich

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

rich1September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987

Bernard “Buddy” Rich played the drums. He played the drums really, really well. He had a temper. He (allegedly) liked to fire musicians in the middle of sets if the need arose. He played with all the big names like Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. He also led his own bands. And he had a bit of a temper.

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Frank Zappa

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on February 14, 2014 by Cade

zappa1December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993

Frank Vincent Zappa was an influential, experimental musician who broke onto the popular music scene with his band’s (the Mothers of Invention) 1966 album Freak Out! Zappa’s style defied category as his works and compositions included rock, jazz and classical elements. His music drew on influences from everything from R&B to jazz. Over the course of his almost 40 year career, he experimented with sound and quietly influenced countless musicians that would follow. Continue reading →

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Russell Stover

Posted in Mt. Moriah Cemetery with tags on February 14, 2014 by Cade

stover1May 6, 1888 – May 11, 1954

Candy magnate, Russell Stover was a chemist who revolutionized the chocolate candy industry. He was the first to create a chocolate confection that would harden when it came in contact with cold – inventing the Eskimo Pie – and founded the chocolate company that bears his name. Continue reading →

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Dan Quisenberry

Posted in Mt. Moriah Cemetery with tags , , on February 7, 2014 by Cade

quis1February 7, 1953 – September 30, 1998

The giant scoreboard that towers over center field at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium said it best throughout the 1980’s. When Dan Quisenberry – the closer with the unmistakable submarine delivery – entered the game, a graphic appeared that read: “There’s no berry like a Quisenberry.”

Dan Quisenberry was one of the most dominant closing pitchers in the American League all through the early ’80’s. He set the single-season saves record 5 times and retired with a total of 244 saves. Continue reading →

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Paul Revere

Posted in Granary Burial Ground with tags on January 21, 2014 by Cade

revere2December 21, 1734 – May 10, 1818

“The Midnight Ride” of Paul Revere is one of the most famous moments in American history. Revere, a Boston silversmith, alerted the colonial militias – along with fellow-Patriot, William Dawes – that the British army was mobilizing toward the caches of weapons in Concord. His warning prefaced the first skirmishes in the American Revolutionary War. It was immortalized by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and has become nothing short of legend in the States. Continue reading →

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Sonny Liston

Posted in Davis Memorial Park with tags , on December 30, 2013 by Cade

liston1May 8, 1932* – December 30, 1970

Charles “Sonny” Liston was the Heavyweight Champion of the world in 1962. Liston beat Floyd Patterson in a mostly unexpected knockout to gain the title. Sonny’s reputed mob connections delayed the fight for for years, but he proved his worth in the ring with a lightning fast knockout in the first round. Liston’s attempts at defending his title against some guy named “Ali” proved unsuccessful and, after two consecutive losses to him, Liston lost and never regained the title. Continue reading →

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