At Cypress Lawn, our staff members are proud of our history in the Bay Area as a beautiful place to lay a loved one to rest. Our Memorial Park honors notable individuals who shared their talents and passion with the community and beyond. We invite our neighbors to learn more about these remarkable people and all they accomplished.

1. Hamden Holmes Noble (1844-1929): Our founder, Hamden Holmes Noble, is one of the most notable individuals laid to rest at Cypress Lawn. With a professional background in the San Francisco Mining Exchange and hydroelectricity, Noble switched gears when he founded Cypress Lawn Cemetery in 1892. Noble and his wife, Grace, are buried in a simple underground vault topped with granite—a testament to his life’s work helping San Franciscans honor their loved ones.
2. Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948): A San Francisco native, Atherton was introduced to literature at the hands of her grandfather on his San Jose ranch where she grew up. After her husband’s death, she traveled to New York City, England, and Europe, where she began to write novels informed by her travels. Throughout her life, she wrote more than 40 novels along with nonfiction works. Her novels primarily center around intrepid female characters and their journeys of self-exploration.
3. Eddie Fisher (1928-2010): Eddie Fisher was a singer and actor who sold millions of records during the 1950s and hosted a television program titled The Eddie Fisher Show. His first wife was the actress Debbie Reynolds, and their daughter the actress Carrie Fisher. Following cremation in 2010, Fisher’s cremated remains were interred at Cypress Lawn.
4. William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951): Businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician, William Randolph Hearst was born in San Francisco, took over his father’s newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner, and founded Hearst Communications, one of the country’s largest media companies. Hearst’s life inspired the famous film, Citizen Kane. Upon his death in 1951, Hearst was interred in the family mausoleum at Cypress Lawn.
5. Lincoln Beachey (1887-1915): Lincoln Beachey was a world-famous aviator from San Francisco. During his life, he performed aerial stunts and flying exhibitions and was an early adopter of aerobatics. Beachey died in a tragic plane crash in the San Francisco Bay. His funeral was San Francisco’s largest public funeral to date.

If you live in San Francisco and would like to arrange an in-person tour of the Memorial Park at Cypress Lawn or our Arboretum, contact our staff. We invite you to join us in reliving the vibrant history of Cypress Lawn.