Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary, Bonita, California

Glen Abbey Memorial Park & Mortuary is located on a high mesa in San Diego County. Glen Abbey is situated in what is now Bonita, formerly a 1,500-acre locale called Lomacita. Glen Abbey faces Bonita Road, within one mile of the 805 expressway, and the back of the park is bordered by precipitous hills with Mount Miguel to the east and the blue Pacific to the west. Almost the entire area of the park affords an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. From most points in the park, San Diego Harbor, Coronado, the Coronado Bay Bridge, Point Loma and downtown San Diego are visible. The altitude of Glen Abbey is in keeping with the centuries-old tradition and desire to bury our loved ones in a high place. The first interment at Glen Abbey occurred in 1924.

The Little Chapel of the Roses, a non-sectarian chapel, is always available for memorial services. Built in 1925, the chapel is an exact scale replica of Lord Tennyson’s Chapel in Somersby, England. A beautiful detail of the chapel is the circular stained glass window over the altar. Illustrative of a verse of Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar,” the inscription reads:

Sunset and Evening Star, And one clear call for me,

May there be no moaning at the bar, When I put out to sea.

Other features include the massive stained glass window “The Resurrection,” amber sky lights, live singing canaries and living floral arrangements which are changed with the seasons. The Little Chapel of the Roses is truly symbolic of our motto – “Where Memory Lives in Beauty.” People travel from all over the world to be married at the Little Chapel of the Roses. The first wedding at Glen Abbey occurred in 1926.