A Visit to Valley Oaks Memorial Park

Last May we took a break from our drive up to McCrea Ranch and stopped to visit Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village.

It was particularly special for me to visit the gravesite of a favorite actress, Virginia Mayo.

Virginia is buried next to her husband, actor Michael O'Shea, whom she outlived by over three decades.

I was also very moved to visit the final resting place of singer Karen Carpenter. Karen was originally laid to rest at Forest Lawn in Cypress, but her family moved her to this small mausoleum at Valley Oaks in 2003.

There are a number of other greats from film and music at Valley Oaks, including Artie Shaw:

Singing cowboy star Eddie Dean:

Actress Ruth Hussey, another favorite of mine:

Actor Rafael Campos (BLACKBOARD JUNGLE):

Hanna Barbera theme composer Hoyt Curtin:

Oscar-winning composer Joel Hirschhorn, who cowrote "Candle on the Water" from Disney's PETE'S DRAGON (1977), a song which was a school chorus staple in the late '70s.

Marvel Comics great Jack Kirby, creator of many famous characters, including beloved superhero Captain America, co-created with Joe Simon:

Bill Severn was one of a family of child actors; his best-known performance was as Peter in MGM's JOURNEY FOR MARGARET (1942). He was later a Christian evangelist.

Bill's brother Clifford is there too, along with other family members. For the many readers who've seen MGM's A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938), Clifford is the boy Scrooge (Reginald Owen) asks to buy the Christmas turkey near the end of the film.

It's been my pleasure to meet several members of the Severn Family in years past at events at UCLA and the Egyptian Theatre, so it was a particular honor to pause and pay my respects at Valley Oaks.

Additional photo posts on the final resting places of historic Hollywood figures: A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 1, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 2, A Visit to the Forest Lawn Museum, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2014), A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Musicians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Comedians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Actors, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - Writers, Directors, and More, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 1, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 2, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 3, A Visit to Desert Memorial Park, Los Angeles National Cemetery, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 1, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 3, A Visit to Forest Lawn Cathedral City, A Visit to Oakwood Memorial Park, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 1, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 2, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2019), and A Visit to Woodlawn Cemetery.