LONG AND DEEP
I don’t purposely visit graves of famous people, but I do bump into those graves on occasion. Harvey Pekar is buried next to Eliot Ness at Lake View Cemetery. I happened to be at the cemetery and asked about Harvey’s grave. A docent said look in section 7, lot 9-0, but there was nothing there, just a stick. This was a few years ago. Now there’s a tombstone.
At John D. Rockefeller’s grave, there was a quarter on the base of the monument. A tour guide said visitors sometimes put money on John D’s grave. The money is in repayment for the dimes Rockefeller gave out to kids, the guide said.
I saw a tombstone with a Jewish star at Lake View. I think I could go long and deep at Lake View, or I could go next door to Mayfield Cemetery, which is Jewish, but for that I’d have to rejoin Temple-Tifereth Israel for the cemetery plot. Or I could use my cousin’s unused plot out at Hillcrest Cemetery, where my parents are buried. Also, I could go to Park Synagogue’s cemetery, but my wife prefers Lake View. So I’ll probably go there.
My main beef with Lake View is they don’t allow bikes. Cars are OK, but if a biker goes through Lake View, the management has a conniption. The cemetery has steep hills and the management is afraid of bike-car collisions.
Let me think about Lake View. Give me some time.
3 comments
After I saw your title, I was expecting a titillating column. Next time.
Coincidentally, I spoke to a person from Lakeview Cemetery yesterday after I returned a postcard for more info. She wants to show me around. I asked if there was a pricelist she could send me and she claimed they didn’t have one as it depends on the section, the availability, the size, the view. I guess its a moving target based on current interest. Can you negotiate or is that too bourgeois? If they have a quantity discount we could talk to them together or split a referral fee…I think that should be ethical in the final plot biz. The final plot…a good detective read.
Funny your writing about Lake View today, since we had a Landmark Commission meeting there at the Garfield Memorial just yesterday. What kind of “stick does Harvey have? In stone? Lillian used to talk Lake View and I always brought up Jews are supposed to be buried in a Jewish cemetery and sometimes mentioned Mayfield Cemetery – the topic of our featured article in the next issue of “View from the Overlook.” Did you know there’s a small Jewish section in Lake View? I’ve checked out the cemetery offerings recently – maybe we can compare notes?
What about a crypt at Forest Lawn? – it was good enough for Nat King Cole)
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