The Palm Springs Cemetery District will soon break ground on a five-acre pet cemetery in Desert Memorial Park. The creation of a pet cemetery has been a passion project of Kathleen Jurasky, District Manager for Palm Springs Cemetery District, for over 10 years. “Many people say goodbye to their pets, and opt to bury them at home or scatter their ashes illegally,” Jurasky said, “and we are looking forward to offering a pet cemetery option to pet owners in our community.”
Jurasky says the only way to make the pet cemetery a reality was to change the laws, or form a non-profit to enable the district to designate pet burials. The Palm Springs Cemetery Board of Trustees opted for the latter and recently announced the formation of the non-profit organization, Pet Memorial Park Foundation. This decision makes the Palm Springs Cemetery District the first public cemetery in California to offer a burial site for pets.
The response has been very positive, not only from pet owners, but from local businesses and individuals willing to donate their time and services to the project including: Steven Quintanilla, Q & A Lawyers Law Firm; Ron Gregory, RGA Landscape; Chris Mills, Prest/Vuksic Architect; Jeff Jurasky, Jeffrey Jurasky & Associates; Allen Sanborn, Sanborn A/E; and project manager Michael Fontana.
Other Park Details:
- Park entrance is off DaVall Dr. and McCallum Way
- Pets will be buried in ground, no mausoleum
- Above ground memorial options are being developed
Celebrities who chose Desert Memorial Park as their final resting place include Sonny Bono, Frank Sinatra, Betty Hutton, Magda Gabor and others.
If you are interested in donating time or services, or getting involved with Pet Memorial Park Foundation in another capacity contact Kathleen Jurasky at (760) 328-3316 or info@pscemetery.com.
