Nestled into the Sycamore Rocks at the east end of Apple Valley, Sunset Hills Memorial Park is not only one of the most scenic areas of the Valley, but it is also quickly becoming an event and tourist destination. The cemetery’s popularity is partly due to its most famous residents, King of the Cowboys Roy Rogers and Queen of the West Dale Evans. Dale spent many hours there after Roy’s death in 1998, sitting in the Rogers Family Estate Garden overlooking the Valley, working on some of her many books.
During this time, Dale approached Sunset Hills founder Chet Hitt about building a chapel in honor of her late husband. Hitt responded that no tribute to Roy would be complete without mention of Dale and the idea for the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Sunset Chapel was born. He made a promise to Dale on that day, and on Feb. 19, 2007, that promise was fulfilled. Today, the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Sunset Chapel is a place of celebration Dale would have been proud of.
In fact, at the Chapel Grand Opening in 2007, Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr. praised Hitt for maintaining the “spirit of life and celebration” that meant so much to his mother. In addition to the “Celebrations of Life,” which the Chapel was built for, more and more couples are choosing to celebrate the beginning of their lives together, with a wedding on the chapel grounds. Charities and other local organizations have hosted events at the chapel due to its state-of-the-art technology, a knowledgeable and caring staff and flexible layout.
Sunset Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary is nationally recognized as one of the most innovative and beautiful funeral facilities anywhere, and national media and funeral industry executives often visit the park “to see what Chet Hitt’s been up to.” Estate gardens and mausoleums were designed with the park’s natural rockscape as well as artificial rocks and grass, offering Sunset Hills families one of the most distinctive cemetery properties available today.
Photos of all of the properties of Sunset Hills, as well as service schedules, online obituaries, and live webcasts are available on the company website, www.sunsethills.cc.