Several cemeteries are located in the small, but picturesque, village of Hastings-on-Hudson in New York’s Westchester County. One of the most remarkable is Westchester Hills Cemetery – Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. United by a common faith, many notable figures rest in the cemetery’s 14 compact acres. Some of these individuals are the country’s best-known entertainers, scientists, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and corporate titans.
Dr. Stephen Wise, the founder of the Free Synagogue movement, established the cemetery in 1929 with a parcel of land acquired from nearby Mount Hope Cemetery.
To the right of the gates, as you enter the cemetery you will see the mausoleum of George and Ira Gershwin. Entombed with his brothers is the youngest Gershwin brother, Arthur, a successful composer in his own right.
Across the way is the mausoleum of impresario Billy Rose who, in the early 20th century, made a name for himself as a nightclub owner and lyricist.
Proclaimed “the greatest name in Kosher candy” the Barricini Candy Company grew to include more than 45 retail stores, as well as a manufacturing plant. Jack Barricini’s mausoleum bears his name in the company logo’s script.
When actor Tony Randall died in 2004, at the age of 84, the lights dimmed on Broadway. Randall was a star of stage and screen, with countless memorable roles to his credit. One of his most memorable characters was, of course, that of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple.
During his three decades as the artistic director of New York City’s Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg trained some of the best-known names in show business. Among them: James Dean, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro. Marilyn Monroe, too, was a student of Strasberg with whom she developed a close friendship. In fact, when Monroe died in 1962 it was Strasberg who gave her eulogy. The grave of the famed acting coach, known as the “father of method acting in America” can be found in a secluded rear corner of the cemetery. His monument bears a stanza from John Keat’s Ode on the the Poets.
Charles Rosenthal was the founder of Riverside Memorial Chapel. Rosenthal’s sons, Edward and Morton, along with Steve Ross, Edward’s son-in-law, were instrumental in making the firm one of the world’s largest funeral providers. Rosenthal also served as vice chairman of Warner communications, today known as Time Warner Inc.
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