Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary

Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary

Dennis Potter researched Jeff Chandler part-time for three years while working full-time. One Sunday morning in early 2002, his friend, Kevin, joined him for breakfast. During the meal, they discussed for the first time Dennis' idea for writing a book about Jeff Chandler. When Dennis told Kevin that he hadn't as of yet visited Jeff Chandler's final resting place, Kevin jumped in his car and shouted, "Let's go!"

Upon arriving at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, they got a map and celebrity list from the front office. As they worked their way through the numerous halls of the Mausoleum, they realized that they were lost. After another visit to the front office for further directions, they went to a different part of the Mausoleum, but soon realized they still couldn't find Chandler's crypt. When Kevin, in a hall next to Dennis, said, "Chandler must be someplace around here," Dennis suddenly knew where Jeff Chandler's earthly remains were. Without moving more than an inch, Dennis pivoted 180 degrees, spinning toward the hall behind him; his right arm swung outward as his body moved, his hand forming a grip as the forefinger pointed, upwards, higher and higher still; and as his body came to a stop, his arm continued its climb, one crypt level at a time, then two, then three, until, finally, he pointed precisely - exactly - at Jeff Chandler's crypt. As his mind raced to catch up with disbelieving eyes, Dennis Potter stated decisively: "Jeff Chandler is buried right there!"

As they paid their respects to the late actor and spoke quietly about what had just happened, they heard someone say something to them from an adjoining hall. There stood a man in, perhaps, his mid-40s. His dress, casual, complemented his rugged good-looks and his tall appearance; standing at just over six feet, thick, healthy, multi-colored hair crowned his frame. The stranger asked if Dennis and Kevin if they were there to pay respects to his uncle, Jeff Chandler (the stranger was visiting his mother's crypt). Dennis thought: What an opportunity to be able to speak to a member of Jeff Chandler's family! Dennis asked the stranger, who announced himself as a pall bearer at Chandler's funeral, to tell him what the late actor was like. Within a moment, however, the stranger burst into tears and left the area, never to be seen again.