St. Francis Catholic Cemetery

St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, established in 1897, is one of the oldest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It consists of 52 acres (210,000 m2), 45 of which are developed. Before 1969, the cemetery was run by the Order of St. Francis, under the Diocese of Tucson. However, following 1969 it became an independent cemetery and is now owned and run by the Diocese of Phoenix.[1] Its inhabitants represent pioneer families, community and business leaders, miners, those who succumbed to tuberculosis, and others who helped write the history of Phoenix and Arizona. Margaret Geare of Dublin, Ireland, who was buried on Oct. 12, 1897, is believed to be the first to be buried in the cemetery. The cemetery is located at 2033 N. 48th Street.

St. Francis Catholic Cemetery
St. Francis Catholic Cemetery
Details
Established1897
Location
2033 N. 48th Street
CountryU.S.
Coordinates33°28′14.17″N 111°58′39.2766″W
Owned byDiocese of Phoenix
Size52 acres

Notable interments
Headstone in the memory of 1st Lt. Peter E. Coury whose plane was lost on June 1, 1945, during a bombing raid over Osaka, Japan.
Governor Rose Perica Moffort
  • Margaret Geare (1817 - 1897) - Known as Mary and Marguerite was the first person buried in the cemetery. She was buried on Oct. 12, 1897.[2]
  • Hubert Geare (1828 - 1902) - Husband of Margaret.[2]
  • Joseph Geare (1854 - 1911) - Son of Hubert and Margaret who founded the Central Avenue Dairy on the land that is now Park Central Mall.[3]
  • Trinidad Escalante Swilling Shumaker (1849 -1925) - Known as the "Mother of Phoenix". Swilling Shumaker was the wife of Jack Swilling who is credited with being the founding father of Phoenix.[4]
  • Rose Perica Moffort (1922 - 2016) - Moffort was Arizona’s first female Secretary of State (1977-1988) and first female and 18th Governor of Arizona (1988-1991).[5]
  • Felix Carbajal (1896-1978) - Carbajal was a Filipino pioneer, veteran of World War I and community leader. His house, known as the Kunz-Carbajal House, was the gathering center for the Filipino community in Phoenix. It is listed as historical in the Phoenix Register of Historic Properties.[6]
  • Adam Perez Diaz (1909-2010) - In 1954, Diaz became the first Hispanic elected to the Phoenix City Council. He was also the first Hispanic to serve as the Vice-Mayor of Phoenix. President Bill Clinton appointed Diaz to the National Council on Aging.[7]
  • Librado D. Cayco (1912 - 2009) - Cayco was the first Ambassador of the Philippines to be assigned to Hague, Netherlands (1962). A year later Cayco was recalled to the Home Office where he served as member of the Philippines cabinet in the capacity of Secretary of Foreign Affairs.[8]
  • William Zephyrine Gomes (1916 - 2004) - Gomes was the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Poona, India from 1967-1976.[9]
  • Ladimir Kwiatkowski (1928 - 1994) - Known as Ladmo, Kwiatkowski co-hosted The Wallace and Ladmo Show, a daily children's variety show broadcast on KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona.[10] He is buried alongside his wife Patsy L. Kwiatkowski (1930-2011).
  • Najeeb Basha (1870-1932) and Najeeby Basha (1885-1966) - Patriarchs of the Bashas' Supermarket chain empire.[11]
  • Edward Basha Sr. (1911 - 1968) - Together with his brother Ike, founded Bashas' a supermarket chain.
  • Francis Joseph "Red" Hardy (1923 - 2003) - Former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Giants in 1951.[12]
  • William Pinkney DeLancey (1911 - 1946) - Former Major League Baseball player. He helped to lead the St. Louis Cardinals' fabled Gashouse Gang team to the world championship;[13]
  • Louis J. (Lou Ambers) D’Ambrosio (1913 -1995) - Ambers, was a World lightweight boxing champion from 1936 to 1940. He is buried alongside his wife Margaret M. D’Ambrosio (1916-2009).[14]
  • Paul Coze (1903-1974) - French-American anthropologist and artist from Beirut who settled in Phoenix in 1951 and made several prominent pieces of public art, including the mural of a Phoenix at Terminal 2 of Sky Harbor International Airport. He was also the French consul for Phoenix.
  • Ed Pastor (1943 – 2018) - Pastor was the first Latino to represent Arizona in Congress. He served from 1991 to 2015.

Graves
St. Francis Catholic Cemetery
Stained glass window above the entrance of the mausoleum of the St. Francis Cemetery. The stained glass window was donated by the Basha family in memory of Eddie Basha, Sr..
  • Grave of Margaret Geare (1817 - 1897).
  • Grave of Hubert Geare (1828 - 1902).
  • Grave of Joseph Geare (1854 - 1911).
  • Grave of Trinidad Escalante Swilling Shumaker (1849-1925).
  • Grave of Governor Rose Perica Moffort (1922-2016).
  • New Rose Perica Moffort (1922-2016) grave marker.
  • Grave of Felix Carbajal (1896-1978).
  • Grave of Adam Perez Diaz (1909-2010) and his wife Frances Z. Diaz (1918-2016).
  • Crypt of Ambassador Librado D. Cayco (1912-2009).
  • Crypt of Bishop William Zephyrine Gomes (1916-2004).
  • Grave of Ladimir “Ladmo” Kwiatkowski (1928 -1994).
  • Crypt of Edward Basha Sr. (1911-1968).
  • Crypt of Najeeb Basha (1870-1932) and Najeeby Basha (1885-1966).
  • Crypt of Louis J. (Lou Ambers) D’Ambrosio (1913-1995) and his wife Margaret M. D’Ambrosio (1916-2009).
  • Crypt of Ed Pastor (1943 – 2018).

See also
Part of a series of the
Cities and towns in Arizona with lists and images of historic properties; cemeteries or historic districts
Flag of Arizona

References
  1. Diocese Phoenix Archived 2008-02-01 at Archive.today
  2. History of the Catholic Cemeteries in the Diocese of Phoenix
  3. North Park Central History
  4. Arizona Latina Trailblazers
  5. (U.S.), National Association of Secretaries of State (January 1, 1987). "National Association of Secretaries of State Handbook". National Association of Secretaries of State. Retrieved September 15, 2016 – via Google Books.
  6. Asian American Historic Property Survey.
  7. Adam Perez Diaz
  8. Librado D. Cayco
  9. William Zephyrine Gomes
  10. "Wallace & Ladmo Official Site". http://wallacewatchers.com/Ladimir_Ladmo_Kwiatkowski.html. External link in |work= (help)
  11. Basha’ s History
  12. Baseball Almanac
  13. Baseball Almanac
  14. Ward, Matt (3 February 2015). "Lou Ambers' Grave". The Matt Ward History Experience. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
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