Navigating cemeteries — something I’ve been doing for nearly twenty years — is no easy task. If you are a basic taphophile (a person with an interest in cemeteries) and are merely seeking out beautiful sculpture, interesting grave markers or peacefully photogenic landscapes, then a leisurely stroll through any cemetery will yield the results you are looking for. However, if you are an obsessive seeker of the graves of the famous, infamous or unsung names with an intriguing history, a little more preparation is required. Since I fall into the category of the latter, grave hunting has become sort of a scavenger hunt. Before I actually set foot in a particular cemetery, I make a list of the various graves I wish to find. I print out a map of the grounds and mark off approximate locations of those graves, based on piecemeal information available on the internet (after a number of often futile Google searches). It is only then that I venture out to search the actual grounds. Sometimes, I am successful. Sometimes, I am not. Yeah, it’s a scavenger hunt, but it can also be a crap shoot.
Early on a Saturday morning in August 2024, just after a service visit to my local Subaru dealer to get a new tire, I headed in the direction of Delaware County, Pennsylvania to scour the grounds of four — count ’em four! — cemeteries.
After a winding drive on I-76, I drove through the welcoming gateway of Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, though not the one made famous as the home of The Simpsons. Covering over 300 acres, Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery is the largest in Delaware County. I had a hand-drawn map and thanks to the GPS coordinates on the findagrave.com website, I was ready to find the seven graves I wished to photograph. The first one was an easy find, giving me a false sense of accomplishment, as spent a good amount of time wandering around the beautifully-maintained lawns like I was looking for a lost set of car keys.
My map took me to Section 31, where, from my curb-side parking space, I spotted the grave of actor Matthew McGrory.
Standing at 7 foot-six inches tall, Matthew McGrory was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest actor on record. He was featured in movies that exploited his imposing height, including Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel The Devil’s Rejects. Tim Burton cast Matthew as “Karl” the genial giant in the film Big Fish. He costarred in a number of sci-fi and horror related television series and he was a frequent guest on Howard Stern’s radio show. He was to begin filming a biopic of celebrated wrestler Andre the Giant, when he died on congestive heart failure at the age of 32.
A few rows beyond and one section over is the grave of Gino Marchetti.
Gino Marchetti was a professional football player, first with the single-season Dallas Texans, then the Baltimore Colts (which was formed in the wake of the Texans’ subsequent collapse). He was a 2-time NFL champion and and an 11 time Pro Bowl participant. While still a player, Gino, along with several teammates, invested in a fast food restaurant. The establishment — christened Gino’s Hamburgers — boasted over 300 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country. In addition to burgers (including the signature “Gino Giant”), fries and other fast food fare, Gino’s restaurants introduced Kentucky Fried Chicken to the area. In 1982, Gino’s Hamburgers was sold to the Marriott Company, who promptly renamed all locations with their more popular “Roy Rogers” brand.
A short drive brought me to the Sapienza Family plot, the final resting place of 1960s teen idol Bobby Rydell.
Born Robert Ridarelli, Bobby Rydell burst on to the early rock & roll charts with 1959’s “Kissin’ Time.” Signing with Philadelphia record label Cameo-Parkway, Bobby soon found himself touring with The Everly Brothers, The Crickets and The Champs. He also released a string of gold records including “Wild One,” “Ding-a-Ling,” “Swinging School” and “Volare.” In 1961, he became the youngest performer to grace the stage at New York City’s famed Copacabana. He was even cited as an influence by Paul McCartney. The hits kept coming for Bobby with “Wildwood Days” and “The Cha-Cha-Cha.” He was cast opposite Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke in the big screen musical Bye Bye Birdie. He signed a lucrative contract with Capitol Records and was soon headlining in Las Vegas and making guest appearances on television variety shows. Bobby remained a popular singer right up until his death in 2022.
Nearby is the grave of comedian John Pinette.
Dispensing with his short career as an accountant, John became a successful stand-up comic who entertained audiences with his manic delivery and self-deprecating “food-related” humor. His big break came when he was tapped to open shows for singer Frank Sinatra. He later appeared in the touring company of the John Waters’ musical Hairspray. John is remembered for his small but pivotal cameo in the final episode of Seinfeld as the hapless mugging victim.
I had to avoid several active funerals and a flock of angry geese as I made my way to the grave of Aimee Willard.
Aimee was a promising athlete and a star lacrosse player in high school and later at George Mason University. On June 20, 1996, 22-year old Aimee was driving on Interstate 476, when her car was rear-ended by Arthur Bomar, a notorious ex-convict on the lam from a murder he committed in Nevada. Aimee’s abandoned car was discovered on the Exit 5 off-ramp — the doors open, lights on and motor running. Her battered body was discovered the following day in an empty lot in North Philadelphia, seventeen miles from her car. DNA evidence positively identified Bomar as her killer. Bomar, who was suspected in another, eerily similar murder, was convicted of first-degree murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse. He was sentenced to death. In 2000, President Clinton signed “Aimee’s Law,” encouraging states to keep murderers, rapists, and child molesters behind bars and holds the state financially accountable if it fails.
Another funeral detoured my approach to the curbside grave of Danny Murtaugh.
A former second baseman, Danny Murtaugh went on to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates for fifteen non-consecutive seasons. He brought the team two World Series wins in 1960 and 1971.
Just behind the cemetery’s main office is the unassuming grave of newscaster John Facenda.
John Facenda was a beloved newscaster in the Philadelphia market, serving as the anchorman on the 11 o’clock broadcast on WCAU-TV (the local CBS affiliate) for twenty-five years. John’s familiar voice was heard as the narrator of NFL Films, offering dramatic descriptions of football highlights and earning him the nickname “The Voice of God.” He also provided the long-time narration for the annual John Wanamaker Christmas Light Show, a multimedia holiday presentation exclusively at the department store chain’s Philadelphia location. On a national level, John was heard as the voice on the radio on the TV sitcom Gilligan’s Island.
I drove out to Route 320, with my destination being Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Chester. Rolling Green is a small, non-descript cemetery on busy West Chester Pike. The mostly flat grounds are punctuated with a few trees, several religious sculptures and a large chapel at the far end. Filled with flat-on-the-ground plaque makers and just few above-ground monuments, Rolling Green… well, just that…rolling and green.
Just inside the entrance is the grave of entertainer Pearl Bailey.
Pearl Bailey was a singer, dancer, actress and a consummate entertainer. Making her debut in Philadelphia’s Black nightclubs in the 1930s, Pearl performed with stars like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. She appeared on Broadway in the 1940s and continued to tour and release albums. In the 60s, she starred with Cab Calloway in an all-Black version of Hello Dolly! She sang the National Anthem before ballgames, was featured on her own network variety show as well as guest shots on other shows, hosted by show business friends like Ed Sullivan and Lucille Ball. Her exciting stage presence captivated audience and Pearl always looked as though she was having the best time of anyone! Pearl is buried under the name “Bellson.” Her husband was jazz drummer Louis Bellson, who is interred at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
Right next to Pearl is her brother Bill Bailey.
Bill Bailey was Pearl Bailey’s older brother. He was a celebrated tap dancer with roles in films like Cabin in the Sky and Going Native. In the film Rhythm and Blues Revue, a 1955 tribute to legendary dancer Bill Robinson, Bill Bailey ended his routine with a step called The Backslide. This move was later popularized by Michael Jackson and redubbed The Moonwalk…. but Bill did it first. Bill is interred with his daughter Monica, who was hit by a car near her North Philadelphia home not long after Bill died. Monica was just 15.
On the far side of the grounds is the grave of Shirley Brickley.
Shirley was a member of the 60s vocal group The Orlons, formed out of the earlier group Audrey and the Teenettes (with Shirley’s younger sisters). Pearl Brickley, the girls’ mother, was not happy with the musical exploits of the two younger Brickley sisters, causing the group to split. After recruiting lead singer Stephen Caldwell, the Orlons backed up Dee Dee Sharp on her hit “Mashed Potato Time” and its follow-up “Gravy for My Mashed Potatoes.” The Orlons scored a national hit on their own with “The Wah-Watusi” and later “Don’t Hang Up” and “South Street.” They even recorded their own take on Bobby Rydell’s “The Cha-Cha-Cha.” After several personnel changes, the Orlons disbanded in 1968. In 1977, Shirley was shot to death by an intruder in her home. She was 32. Shirley is buried here with her disapproving mother.
In a section that backs up to the yards of nearby homes is the grave of Ron Kersey.
Ron was a songwriter, producer and keyboard player for The Trammps. He is best known for co-writing and performing the disco hit “Disco Inferno.” Not content with touring, Ron settled in to producing and earned a Grammy Award for his efforts on the soundtrack of the film Saturday Night Fever. Ron was also a member of the band MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra.
A twenty-minute drive further south brought me to Longwood Cemetery, adjacent to Pennsylvania’s renowned Longwood Gardens. Longwood Cemetery is a small, rural cemetery divided up by three narrow drives barely wide enough to fit a car… at least to fit my car.
I parked and walked one aisle over to the fenced-in Taylor family, including author Bayard Taylor.
Bayard Taylor was a world-renowned novelist, critic, travel author, poest and diplomat. At a poetry. reading he drew a crowd of over 4000, a record that stood for 85 years. he published numerous works of fiction as well as detailed travel journals. Among his novels was Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania, published in 1870 and recognized as the first American gay novel. He also spent a good portion of his career translating Goethe’s Faust into English. His poem “Greeting to America” was set to music and performed by P.T. Barnum protégé Jenny Lind. The five-tall cylindrical granite marker with a copper cameo of Bayard Taylor is inscribed: “HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.”
Behind Bayard’s grave is the grave of his younger brother Charles Taylor.
Charles was a Colonel and the Commander of the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves, 42nd Infantry Regiment, known as the “Bucktails.” He was killed in action on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
A little further south, not far from the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, is another rural cemetery called Union Hill. This flat, narrow cemetery sits up on an embankment across the street from a very suburban looking neighborhood. It is hardly the place one would expect to find one of Hollywood’s biggest and most glamourous — although nearly forgotten — stars.
Just inside the gates and down a little path is the simple family marker designating the grave of of Linda Darnell.
At just 15 years old, Linda Darnell was signed to a contract and cast in the 1939 film Hotel for Women, in a role turned down by Loretta Young. Her beauty was exploited by studio head Darryl Zanuck, causing a lot of buzz among Hollywood gossip columnists. She was cast — and then withdrawn several times — before landing a role opposite Tyrone Power in Day-Time Wife. The pair would go on to co-star in more films, including The Mask of Zorro and the star-making Brigham Young. Darryl Zanuck’s interest in Linda began to diminish and she was relegated to smaller roles in lesser pictures. The press, however, still mentioned Linda in the same company as Hollywood beauties like Hedy Lamarr and and Gene Tierney. The controversial film Forever Amber put Linda back on top. She followed the acclaimed role with Unfaithfully Yours and A Letter to Three Wives, but soon found her stardom again on the decline. Unfettered, she continued to act, even dabbling in early episodic television. Linda battled depression, alcoholism and experience several tumultuous and failed marriages. In April 1965, she died from injuries sustained in a house fire (caused by careless smoking) the previous day. Her cremated remains sat in storage for a decade until her daughter had them interred at this plot near her home in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
My travels took me to the far reaches of southern Pennsylvania and it was time to head home. I clicked on the GPS and let my brand new tire and its three friends guide me there.
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