Rose Hills Mortuary history

In 1917, shortly after Rose Hills was founded, a small, indoor Whittier Heights mausoleum—only the second public structure of its kind in California—was opened at the cemetery.

In 1928, the management launched an expansion program designed to increase the size of the cemetery through a series of land acquisitions.

The Dignity Memorial network includes affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas, as well as many other fine independently owned and operated establishments.

In 1930, El Portal de la Paz (Doorway to Peace) opened to the public.

Waltrip was born in 1931 and grew up in an apartment above his family's funeral parlor.

The Masonic Memorial Lawn opened in 1951 as the first fraternal lawn at Rose Hills.

Rose Hills Mortuary opened in 1956.

By 1962, Waltrip was a licensed funeral director with a chain of three funeral homes in Houston.

Built in 1964 as a memorial to the late John D. Gregg—son of Rose Hills founder Augustus Gregg—the chapel hosts memorial services, funerals and visitations for all cultures and faiths.

The company began selling shares to the public in 1970, debuting on the American Stock Exchange.

SCI's operating income rose almost 40 percent to $2.3 million, or 68 cents a share, in 1971.

Such cemetery plot sales are not to be confused with SCI's program of "pre-need" sales of funeral services, which started in 1977.

The company initiated a program of placing funeral homes on cemetery grounds, and by 1982 it was operating 18 such combination sites.

Waltrip had planned to create a fast-flowers chain--again along the lines of McDonald's operation--but the shops were sold in 1986 because of management difficulties.

A less problematic investment was SCI's 1988 founding of Provident Services, Inc., a company designed to provide capital financing to independent funeral homes and cemeteries.

For a time, the company also issued insurance policies redeemable for funeral services, but by 1990 this sort of pre-payment plan was executed only through a third party and the company itself only issued trusts.

The company's overall funeral revenue rose 75 percent for the first quarter of 1996, and SCI's share price was trading at over $50.

As of 1999, the company began to shed acquisitions and focus on internal growth.

In 2001, the company announced plans to sell over 400 funeral homes, as well as more than 100 cemeteries.

In 2005, GardenView Reception Center began offering families modern amenities like catering services and audio/visual equipment in a peaceful setting.

In 2008, the crematory was modernized and a viewing lounge was added so that it became The Witness Crematorium at Rose Hills.

In 2015, Rose Hills Mortuary unveiled the Hall of Endless Remembrance, a space within the mortuary's visitation center designed and built especially for the Chinese and Buddhist populations.

New in the spring of 2019, the Hua Yuan Ceremonial Complex was created specifically with Chinese families in mind—though families of all cultural backgrounds are welcome to hold events in the space.