Gardens of Stone --- A Cemetery Blog by Alexandra Kathryn Mosca

  Director Max Reinhardt, entombed in Westchester Hills Cemetery's older community mausoleum near the front of the cemetery, had a deeply personal connection to The Sound of Music. His legacy is not only marked by the founding of the Salzburg Music Festival but also by his inspiration for the character, Max Detweiler. After his passing, his son, Wolfgang, continued this connection by acquiring the film rights from Maria Von Trapp. In Salzburg, his former home, Schloss Leopoldskron, was used for some exterior scenes in the movie and is now a boutique hotel with three Sound of Music-themed suites.

  My article: "The Power of Eternal Love: Unforgettable Love Stories That Transcend Even Death" is the cover story for this month's American Cemetery & Cremation magazine.  The cover shot is of the monument artist Marc Chagall designed for his beloved wife, Bella, when she died at the age of 49. Other love stories include Charles & Jane Griffith (Green-Wood), Jonathan & Mary Reed (Evergreen) Lawrence and Elvira Wegielski (Woodlawn) William Wetmore Story & Emelyn (Protestant Cemetery in Rome).  

I 've written scores of cemetery profiles, and have enjoyed working on each and every one. But I must say, I was entranced by the subject of my latest profile from the moment I drove into the cemetery gates. Westchester Hills Cemetery-Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, located in Hastings-on-Hudson, in New York, has an amazing roster of notables: the Gershwin brothers, Billy Rose, Lee Strasberg, Tony Randall, John Garfield, Roberta Peters, Mac & Jack Barricini, and the Rosenthal family, who began Riverside Memorial Chapel. The cemetery also contains many stories of interest of non-celebrities, as well as amazing architecture, like this cover monument.