Florida

Gary Carter

(1954-2012)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Riverside Memorial Park, Martin County

GPS Coordinates-

26°58'19.2"N, 80°06'22.0"W

Gary Carter started and ended his career with the Montreal Expos. He achieved his greatest fame with the New York Mets, however, where he won the 1986 World Series. Carter was an All-Star 11 times, earned 3 Gold Glove Awards, was named All-Star MVP 2 times, and had 5 Silver Slugger Awards. While his hitting totals are not on par with many in the Hall of Fame, his success at a demanding position and individual awards were enough to get Carter in the recognition he deserved.

Perry Como

(1912-2001)

Singer, Actor, Television Star

Fame-O-Meter-7/10

Resting Place-Riverside Memorial Park, Martin County

GPS Coordinates-

26°58'19.4"N, 80°06'21.5"W

Perry Como did enough in his lifetime to make him famous for decades. He won five Emmys in a row for hosting the "Perry Como Show" in the 1950s. He had several chart-topping songs such as "Catch a Falling Star", "Magic Moments", and "It's Impossible". He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television, radio, and music. In 1987 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kennedy Center. He also received a posthumous Grammy at the 2002 Grammy Awards. 

Chuck Daly

(1930-2009)

Basketball Coach

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Riverside Memorial Park, Martin County

GPS Coordinates-

26°58'19.3"N, 80°06'21.0"W

Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Daly led the Detroit Pistons to National Basketball Association championships in 1989 and 1990. He was also the coach of the legendary "Dream Team" at the 1992 Olympics that featured the first time NBA players were allowed to play in the games. He had nine consecutive playoff appearances in Detroit as the coach of the Pistons.

Millie Deegan

(1919-2002)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, Palm Harbor

GPS Coordinates-

28°02'58.7"N, 82°45'16.0"W

Millie Deegan was a member of the professional women's league that began during World War II while many men went to serve in World War II. Deegan played for three teams, including the famous Rockford Peaches who were depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. Deegan was called the "Babe Ruth of women's baseball" and was known for feats of power, including a 250 foot homerun hit while Ruth himself was in attendance. Deegan was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1992 for her efforts in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Mike Douglas

(1920-2006)

Entertainer

Fame-O-Meter-4/10

Resting Place-Riverside Memorial Park, Martin County

GPS Coordinates-

26°58'19.4"N, 80°06'23.3"W

Born Michael Dowd, the singer and television host was better known as Mike Douglas. He was the singing voice of Prince Charming in Disney's Cinderella. He also hosted the very popular "Mike Douglas Show" from 1961 to 1981. At its peak, the show had over 6 million daily viewers. In 1972 his show was famously co-hosted by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. He also had singing hits with songs like "Ole Buttermilk Sky" and "The Old Lamplighter".

Jimmie Foxx

(1907-1967)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-5/10

Resting Place-Memorial Plan Flagler Memorial Park, Miami

GPS Coordinates-

25°46'19.8"N, 80°17'05.4"W

Jimmie Foxx probably isn't as famous as he should be. He isn't known to most casual baseball fans, but in his prime Jimmie Foxx was one of the best baseball players who ever lived. In 20 seasons in Major League Baseball, Jimmie Foxx recorded league leading home run totals 4 times, hit 50 home runs in a season twice, had 100 RBIs for 13 years straight, was a 2-time batting champion, and was league MVP 3 times. He won 2 World Series in his time with the Philadelphia Athletics. He also famously played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951.

Jackie Gleason

(1916-1987)

Actor, Comedian

Fame-O-Meter-7/10

Resting Place-Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery, Doral

GPS Coordinates-

25°47'58.9"N, 80°22'56.6"W

Jackie Gleason was a leading funny man in the  1950s and 60s. He starred in television shows, films, and on stage as well. He was best known for his role of Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners," though the show only ran for one season and had less than 50 episodes. It was a cultural zeitgeist for its time.

Billy Herman

(1909-1992)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Riverside Memorial Park, Martin County

GPS Coordinates-

26°58'20.1"N, 80°06'24.1"W

MLB Hall of Fame baseball player Billy Herman played for 15 seasons for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted over .300 eight times during his career and was a ten-time all-star. He co-holds the record for hits on opening day with five. He also holds the all-time record for putouts for a second basemen in the National League. He was elected in 1975.

Hercules Hernandez

(1956-2004)

Pro Wrestler

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell

GPS Coordinates-

28°35'57.8"N, 82°13'05.8"W

Raymond Fernandez, better known by his wrestling moniker "Hercules Hernandez", performed across America in various high-profile matches. He was featured on WrestleMania several times and had matches against Hulk Hogan, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and more. 

Meyer Lansky

(1902-1983)

Crime Figure

Fame-O-Meter-4/10

Resting Place-Mount Nebo Miami Memorial Gardens, Miami

GPS Coordinates-

25°46'40.1"N, 80°17'06.9"W

Meyer Lansky was an organized crime figure who worked with another notorious figure, Bugsy Siegel. Their gang later became involved with Lucky Luciano, yet another famous mobster. Together The Syndicate grew to power across the nation, using Prohibition and gambling casinos as main money making sources. Lansky or Luciano may have been behind the murder of friend Siegel, whom they believed was acting corruptly in Las Vegas, a new Syndicate hot spot. Lansky eventually was pulled in on the classic tax evasion premise, but it made little difference. By that point in his life, Lansky was old and suffering from many ailments. 

Al Lopez

(1908-2005)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Garden of Memories Cemetery, Tampa

GPS Coordinates-

27°58'51.7"N, 82°24'34.2"W

Al Lopez was a Hall of Fame baseball player and manager. As a manager he had a .581 winning percentage and took both the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians to the American League pennant. As a player he set the then-record for most games played at catcher. 

Rocky Marciano

(1923-1969)

Boxer

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale

GPS Coordinates-

26°07'37.1"N, 80°10'50.1"W

The world champion of boxing from 1952 to 1956 was Rocky Marciano. Marciano did something that no other professional boxing world champion has ever done: retire undefeated. Officially Rocky Marciano was 49-0 with 43 KOs, despite being a shorter boxer. He was known for having a very heavy hand with which to strike opponents and also to be able to take incredible amounts of punishment. The name and style of the character Rocky from the movie Rocky was modeled after Marciano, though the story was modeled after someone else.

Bill McKechnie

(1886-1965)

Baseball Player, Manager

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton

GPS Coordinates-

27°26'49.3"N, 82°33'01.7"W

Bill McKechnie played professional baseball for 21 years, straddling time in the American League, National League, and the short-lived Federal League.  As a manager, McKechnie led two teams to World Series titles, the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1940 Cincinnati Reds. McKechnie was added to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Vincent McMahon Sr.

(1914-1984)

Pro Wrestling Executive

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery, North Lauderdale

GPS Coordinates-

26°12'27.5"N, 80°12'03.9"W

The WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) was a New York regional area staple of professional wrestling run by Vincent McMahon Sr. Though many know Vince Sr.  as Vincent McMahon Jr.'s father, Vince Sr. actually also had a father who was a wrestling promoter. Vince Sr. will probably be best remembered as the person who sold the company to his son (who turned it into the WWF, and later the WWE). He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 after he had passed.

Dina Merrill

(1923-2017)

Actress

Fame-O-Meter-6/10

Resting Place-Bethesda Episcopal Church By the Sea Columbarium, Palm Beach

GPS Coordinates-

26°42'41.8"N, 80°02'11.5"W

The beautiful Dina Merrill was known for many things in her lifetime. An actress on television, in movies, and on stage, Merrill's career stretched from 1945 to 2009. Truly a lifetime of acting. She made her Hollywood debut in Desk Set with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in 1957. She also acted on stage in productions such as Angel Street and On Your Toes. She helped run the production studio RKO Pictures with her third husband Ted Hartley. Merrill was also famously married to Stanley Rumbough Jr. and Cliff Robertson. Beyond all that, Dina Merrill was recognized for her tireless charity work, including many efforts to help children, diabetes research, and support for the Kennedy Performing Arts Center in New York. 

Blackjack Mulligan

(1941-2016)

Pro Wrestler

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell

GPS Coordinates-

28°36'48.7"N, 82°13'38.6"W

Born Robert Deroy Windham, Blackjack Mulligan was a tough as hell professional wrestler. He was known for wrestling both solo and with Blackjack Lanza in almost every major promotion across the United States. He was a multiple time champion and was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. He is the father of pro wrestlers Barry Windham and Kendall Windham, the father-in-law of pro wrestler Mike Rotunda, and the grandfather of pro wrestlers Bo Dallas and the late Bray Wyatt.

Leslie Nielsen

(1926-2010)

Actor

Fame-O-Meter-7/10

Resting Place-Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale

GPS Coordinates-

26°06'25.8"N, 80°07'55.5"W

What can we say about Leslie Nielsen? If the highest calling someone can have is to make another person smile, then Nielsen contributed a lot of this world. Star of movies such as Airplane!, The Naked Gun, The Naked Gun 2 1/2,  Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Spy Hard, as well as entries in the Scary Movie franchise. He was loved by many and made the world a more cheerful place with his craft.

*Note all the wonderful mementos people have left behind. Can you match the items to his movie roles?

Jaco Pastorius

(1951-1987)

Musician

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery, North Lauderdale

GPS Coordinates-

26°12'33.1"N, 80°11'58.8"W

A bass master extraordinaire, Jaco Pastorius played in the influential band Weather Report before branching out on his own. He transformed the role of the bass in a band, moving it from the background to the lead instrument and also experimented by doing things such as removing the frets from his instrument.

Dave "Lonesome Dave" Peverett

(1943-2000)

Musician

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Memorial Park, Gotha

GPS Coordinates-

28°32'04.0"N, 81°30'51.2"W

While initially working as the lead singer of the Savoy Blues, Peverett is best known as the later lead singer of Foghat. In the 1970s, the band ruled the charts with songs such as "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Fool for the City", and "Slow Ride". The band sold an estimated 6 million records in the United States. 

Charles Ringling

(1863-1926)

Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-5/10

Resting Place-Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton

GPS Coordinates-

27°26'46.7"N, 82°32'52.4"W

By 1884 Charles Ringling and his brother John Ringling had opened their first circus. By 1900 the brothers had one of the largest circuses in the country. In 1907, they established a major milestone by purchasing their main competition, the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Charles RIngling donated land and tons of funds to help found and develop Sarasota, Florida. He was the president of the chamber of commerce right up until his death.

"Nature Boy" Buddy Roberts

(1921-1992)

Pro Wrestler

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens North, Pompano Beach

GPS Coordinates-

26°15'26.5"N, 80°07'28.8"W

"Nature Boy" Buddy Roberts was everything the later "Nature Boy" Ric Flair wanted to be. The first world champion of Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWWF, Rogers also was an NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Champion. He invented the famous move The Figure Four. Rogers was inducted posthumously into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1994.

Esther Rolle

(1920-1998)

Actress

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Westview Community Cemetery

GPS Coordinates-

26°15'35.9"N, 80°08'56.4"W

Esther Rolle was an actress who appeared on the TV shows "Maude" and "Good Times". She also starred in films such as Driving Miss Daisy. Esther Rolle was also a stage veteran playing many roles, such as that of Lady Macbeth in Orson Welles production of Macbeth.

Bob Ross

(1942-1995)

Painter, Television Personality

Fame-O-Meter-9/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Memorial Park, Gotha

GPS Coordinates-

28°32'02.9"N, 81°30'44.1"W

On PBS from 1983 to 1994 audiences tuned in to see "The Joy of Painting" hosted by one Robert Norman Ross. But the country knew him better as Bob Ross, the artist with the "happy, little trees". Bob Ross's big smile, warm personality, and soothing voice drew audiences in and captivated them as his layered painting techniques eventually created beautiful landscape scenes. Ross himself was trained by his predecessor on PBS, Bill Alexander. Bob Ross passed away in 1995, but his cultural impact has only grown since then. Modern generations know of his work, and you can even find Bob Ross licensed board games and Chia Pets in the aisles of most department stores.

Check out the tributes left to Ross on his gravestone!

Don Shula

(1930-2020)

Football Coach

Fame-O-Meter-4/10

Resting Place-Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery, Doral

GPS Coordinates-

25°48'05.6"N, 80°22'45.5"W

Hall of Fame NFL coach Don Shula has the most wins of any coach in the history of National Football League. Shula was a player before he was, at the time, the youngest coach ever in the NFL. He later became the head coach of the Miami Dolphins where he coached for 25 years. He was loved both on and off the field in the city of Miami. 

Gordon Solie

(1929-2000)

Pro Wrestling Announcer

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Garden of Memories Cemetery, Tampa

GPS Coordinates-

27°58'47.0"N, 82°24'30.8"W

Gordon Solie has long been considered the standard when it comes to the greatest wrestling announcers of all-time. He worked in Florida, Puerto Rico, Georgia, and Alabama. His gravelly voice gave him the nickname "The Walter Cronkite of Professional Wrestling". In his later years, he worked for the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling. Despite never working for them, Gordon Solie was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by fellow legendary broadcaster Jim Ross.

George Steinbrenner

(1930-2010)

Executive, Owner

Fame-O-Meter-7/10

Resting Place-Trinity Memorial Gardens, Trinity

GPS Coordinates-

28°11'24.0"N, 82°36'17.6"W

George Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees in 1973 and ran the team until his death in 2010. During his long tenure calling the shots, be brought the Yankees back to their earlier levels of success, winning 11 American League titles and converting 7 of those to World Series championships. Though he never actually appeared on the show (despite filming scenes) George Steinbrenner also became a character on the show "Seinfeld," serving as George Costanza's boss.

Joe Tinker

(1880-1948)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-5/10

Resting Place-Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando

GPS Coordinates-

28°32'00.6"N, 81°21'29.9"W

"Tinker to Evers to Chance" is a double play combo that will live on in baseball history. The three men played for the legendary Chicago Cubs teams in the early 1900s. Joe Tinker and team won the National League pennant in 1906, 1907, and 1908, including winning the World Series in 1907 and 1908--the last they would win for the next 108 years. Joe Tinker also stole home base twice in one game in 1910.

Carla Wallenda

(1936-2021)

Tightrope Walker

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Manasota Memorial Park, Braderton

GPS Coordinates-

27°26'48.0"N, 82°32'59.5"W

Carla Wallenda was the daughter of Karl and Helen Wallenda and kept up the family tradition of being a tightrope walker. Despite the risks of her profession, Carla had a long career and died of natural causes at her home. The history of the family includes many relatives who joined in on the tightrope walking business. She is buried near many family members.

Karl Wallenda

(1905-1978)

Tightrope Walker

Fame-O-Meter-4/10

Resting Place-Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton

GPS Coordinates-

27°26'48.0"N, 82°32'59.6"W

Karl Wallenda was the patriarch of the "Flying Wallendas" the tightrope walking family of circus lore. Their signature act was  a "seven man pyramid" that involved four people walking while supporting two people who rode while supporting one person on top. This act failed one time causing two members to fail to their death and another to be paralyzed. Still, they continued on as a family act. As you can tell in the family plot photo, there have been many members who have been involved in the family tradition. Karl himself died while attempting to tightrope walk between two buildings.

Edward "Big Ed" Walsh

(1881-1959)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens North, Pompano Beach

GPS Coordinates-

26°15'35.7"N, 80°07'30.0"W

"Big Ed" Walsh is a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer who played from 1904-1917. He once won 40 games in a season and recorded almost 2000 strikeouts in his career. He still holds the record for lowest career ERA with a mark of 1.82. He also threw 464 innings in 1908, the most of any pitcher in the "Modern Era" of 1900 to today. Records that will certainly never be broken in the current game.

Paul Waner

(1903-1965)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton

GPS Coordinates-

27°26'48.3"N, 82°33'01.6"W

Paul Waner is a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member who played for 20 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Yankees. He was a one-time MVP, had 3,000 hits, was an all-star four times, and still holds the record for most consecutive games with an extra base hit.

Chic Young

(1901-1973)

Cartoonist

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park, Clearwater

GPS Coordinates-

27°59'36.3"N, 82°43'05.9"W

Chic Young got his start drawing several comic strips aimed as feeding into the misogyny of the day. The women his comics were named after were usually not portrayed as bright or independent. However, as he caught fire with "Blondie" he happened on a winning formula for success. Blondie and her new husband Dagwood were both flawed characters that readers could associate with. Young drew--I kid you not--over 15,000 "Blondie" strips. There was a spin-off movies series and the comic went on to be a cultural phenomenon including merchandising.