National Memorial Park


National Memorial Park is a cemetery in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Virginia. The cemetery is part of the National Funeral Home and National Memorial Park complex. The cemetery covers 168 acres, lined with fountains, trees, gardens, and sculptures. The complex is owned by Houston-based Service Corporation International.

History

In 1933, local businessman Robert Marlowe purchased a Falls Church dairy farm. Over the years, the businesses shifted to funeral, bereavement, cremation and burial services, as well as a pet cemetery.
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.

Notable burials