| National Funeral Home and Memorial Park | |
| Location: | 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia 22042 |
| Country: | United States |
| Owner: | Service Corporation International, Houston, Texas |
| Size: | 168 acres |
| Graves: | 35,000 |
| Coordinates: | 38.8786°N -77.2025°W |
| Website: | https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/virginia/falls-church/national-funeral-home/4927 |
| Findagraveid: | 51407 |
National Memorial Park is a cemetery in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Virginia.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[3]
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.[6] The site also includes white marble sculptures of Christ's Last Supper, as well as a genizah located in its King David Memorial Gardens.[3]
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.[7]
The complex includes Noah's Ark Pet Cemetery, housing rows of neatly configured graves for dogs, cats, horses and other animals.[8]
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.[9] The 1952 dedication event attracted an estimated 24,000 attendees.[10] The Fountain has been covered in national publications such as Time magazine[11] 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.[12]
Milles also created 3 15-foot statues deemed "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.[13]