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

May Singhi Breen was known as the “The Ukulele Lady.” For three decades --the 1920s to the 1950s -- she wrote ukulele arrangements for piano sheet music. And in 1931, she was responsible for the ukulele being included in the New York Musicians’ list of musical instruments. Singhi-Breen was inducted in the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum (yes, there is one) in 2000. She was married to composer Peter DeRose a pianist and composer, with whom she often collaborated.  

Designer Vera Wang's family rests in style in Westchester County's Kensico Cemetery.   The  Wang family memorial overlooks the Cohasset Plot, a seven acre hillside expanse which contains an abundance of decorative laser-etched monuments bearing Asian surnames. At dusk the ivory granite structure takes on a greyish hue.

J ohn L. Goldwater, the creator of Archie Comics, is buried beneath in Kensico Cemetery. His 2019 New York Times obituary noted that "He is survived by Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica in Riverdale, U.S.A."

The Mercedes-Benz monument which marks the gravesite of Ray Tse is not to be missed.

The gravesite of journalist Henry Villard is a perennial favorite for Sleepy Hollow visitors. It looks all the more vivid in the late afternoon light, surrounded by foliage. A brief biography of Villard, who served as a Civil War correspondent, can be found on the rear of the monument.

Frank Vance Storrs created Playbill, much to the appreciation of theater-goers everywhere. His whimsical monument in Valhalla's Kensico Cemetery reads: Life is a Book-A Different Page is Turned Each Day-The Happiness of the Next None Dare Say.

Along with partner Edmund Teller, German-born Paul Bonwit established Bonwit Teller on Manhattan's tony 5th Avenue. Bonwit Teller was noted for its fashion conscious female clientele, and had branches in Southhampton, Palm Beach and Bar Harbor. When Bonwit died in 1939, hundreds of friends and business associates attended his funeral service in temple Emanu-El where Rev. Dr. Nathan A Perilman spoke of Bonwit's leadership role in American retailing and his philantrophy. Bonwit is entombed in the family mausoleum in Valhalla New York's Kensico Cemetery. Today, Trump Tower stands on the site of the former Bonwit Teller building .

Producer and promoter, Sidney Simcha Bernstein, helped bring the Beatles to America. Sid Bernstein, Who Helped Import the Beatles, Dies at 95 .

  Nestled amidst the bustling streets of Upper Manhattan lies the only active cemetery remaining in Manhattan -- historic Trinity Cemetery. A hidden gem of tranquility and serenity, this beautifully landscaped burial ground comprises four city blocks and offers visitors a chance to discover the rich history of New York City, its notable figures and architectural gems that has stood the test of time.  As I wandered beneath a canopy of trees, the landscape transformed into a majestic tapestry of history. Among the graves I encountered was the final resting place of   Clement Clarke Moore . The author of the Christmas classic,   A Visit From St. Nicholas , his tombstone stands as a testament to his cherished contribution to literature.  Moore is in good literary company with novelist Ralph Ellison, publisher E.P. Dutton, and Alfred Tennyson Dickens, son of Charles Dickens, all buried on the grounds. Another notable grave is that of John James Au...

Irving Berlin, is buried in Wood Cemetery in the Bronx beside his wife Ellin Mackay Berlin. The legendary, and beloved lyricist died in 1989 at the age of 101.