I have posted about 700 photos from this very beautiful cemetery in Reno, Nevada. The
cemetery has a history of being a survivor cemetery. From the website of the cemetery, a
history shows that a Catholic Cemetery has always had its presence in Washoe County since
1879. This cemetery has over 7,000 burials, so this posting is just a small portion of
those persons who reside there. If anyone would like to volunteer to contribute more
pictures, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. The following is from the Our
Mother of Sorrows website:
"In 1879 a transfer of deed was recorded for a parcel of land that was to be used as
a cemetery. The land was transferred to a Catholic priest for the use of St. Mary’s
Parish. That parish and its cemetery eventually became St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral
Parish and cemetery in 1910. Newspaper records show a burial at the original St. Mary’s in
April, 1879.
According to newspaper accounts and funeral home records, there was a cemetery in Sparks
known as Holy Cross Catholic
Cemetery. It was apparently established when the town of Sparks was formed in the early
1900’s. However, no one
knows where this cemetery was located. The assumption is that when Our Mother of Sorrows
cemetery was opened, the
cemetery in Sparks was closed and the remains of those buried there were transferred to
the new cemetery.
Land for Mater Dolorosa (Our Mother of Sorrows) cemetery was purchased from a local
rancher just North of downtown
Reno in 1928. This cemetery was and still is owned by the Diocese. Located within view
of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains and directly across from what is now a large regional park, this cemetery has a
beautiful location.
In 1963 because of the growth of the city, it was decided that St. Thomas Cemetery needed
to be closed. Space in
the cemetery was no longer available and it was not possible to purchase adjacent land.
The graves were transferred
to Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery which was just about a mile away.”
From obituaries and other sources, I have compiled a list of some burials and possible
burial that may have been reinterred to Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery.
You can view the photos and information for both the Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery as
well as the St. Thomas Cemetery at
http://usgwtombstones.org/nevada/washoecem.html
Gerry Perry, Manager
Nevada Tombstone Project