"Carole lived a full life. She met so many people and was loved by so many. She did more, saw more, experienced more and learned more in her few, wonderful, generous years than most people ever know or experience in a life three times as long." ~ Dorothy Ross, Carole's sister
On Saturday, July 10, Carole was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The service was held at 12:30 PM at Forest Lawn's Church of the Recessional. The small chapel was filled with flowers including a cross made of white gardenias (Carole's favorite flower) and a large bouquet of roses from her former boss Darryl Zanuck. Carole's sister Dorothy greeted mourners as they entered the church while her nine year old niece, Diane Carole, knelt by the coffin and cried. Clara Ridste, Carole's mother, was inconsolable. She sobbed throughout the funeral and was heard saying "Oh my baby, I'll pray for you, everyday". When she saw Carole in the coffin she was so overcome by grief that she fainted. Carole's estranged husband Horace Schmidlapp, her brother Lawrence Ridste, and her father Alfred Ridste were also there.
Carole's father Alfred Ridste & her nephew Buck Ross Horace Schmidlapp
The blue dress Carole was buried in
Alfred had a strained relationship with Carole and had not seen her in six years. Her close friends Cesar Romero and director Eddie Sutherland were pallbearers. Dick Haymes was also supposed to be a pallbearer but he was delayed in Chicago. Dozens of Carole's friends attended the funeral including Pat O'Brien, Van Johnson, her stand-in Florence Wasson, and actor Willard Parker. Rex Harrison and his wife Lilli Palmer arrived at the cemetery with two bodyguards. Lilli wore a dark blue dress because she felt it was inappropriate to wear black to the funeral of her husband's mistress. The couple refused to look at Carole in her coffin and left early. Carole had been raised a Catholic but she was denied a Catholic burial because she had committed suicide. The service was conducted by Bishop Fred L. Pyman of the Evangelical Orthodox Church in Santa Monica.
Carole's mother Clara & her niece Diane Carole Rex Harrison & Lilli Palmer
Cesar Romero & Eddie Sutherland carry Carole's coffin
In his eulogy he said "This beloved star made her entrances perfectly. She did not overplay. Fellow troupers, you don't have to call a second time for people like our beloved friend. Whenever there was a call, she always came." Fred L. Scott sang "The Lord's Prayer" and her favorite hymn "In The Garden". The mahogany coffin was lined with peach silk cushions. She was buried wearing her favorite blue beaded butterfly dress and her gold cross necklace. Carole's niece Sharon recalled that she looked so beautiful in her coffin she thought she was still alive. She had requested gardenias in her will but instead two blue orchids were pinned to her dress. A rosary and a bouquet of roses were placed in her hands. The roses had been sent by one of Carole's childhood friends. Her make-up was done by her longtime make-up artist Ben Nye.
Carole's grave in 1949 and today
Cesar Romero, Eddie Sutherland, and Clara Ridste at Carole's gravesite
Thousands of fans came to the cemetery to watch the funeral. Many of them tried to get autographs from the celebrities who were there. Cesar Romero held onto Carole's mother to shield her from the emotional crowd. When the service was over the fans descended on the grave and took all the flowers. Bishop Pyman said it the "most revolting" thing he had ever seen. Many of Carole's relatives and fans still bring flowers to her grave on a regular basis. Forest Lawn is located at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue. Carole's grave is plot 814 in the Everlasting Love section. She is buried next to the curb at the top of the hill. The epitaph on Carole's tombstone says "TO OUR BELOVED CAROLE WHOSE LOVE, GRACIOUSNESS AND KINDNESS TOUCHED US ALL - WHO WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US IN THE BEAUTIES IN THIS EARTH UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN".
Listen to In The Garden
