Big John and the Searchlight Cemetery

Big John's artistic legacy is also visible in the Searchlight Cemetary. Piecing together public records, Big John made his way from San Jose to Searchlight by 1937, with his parents following around that time. His father passed away March 13^th, 1937 in Searchlight and is buried in the Searchlight cemetery in a grave that Big John designed and built using local materials.

After Big John’s retirement in 1963, he and his wife left Searchlight for Oroville, California, where he died two years later at the age of 72. His headstone is located at the Searchlight Cemetery, near the graves of his family.

Big John's grave and headstone closeup in Searchlight Cemetary, images courtesy of USGen Web Archives, Searchlight Cemetery #4.

Grave of Big John and his wife, Daisy at the Memorial Park Cemetary in Oroville, CA. Image courtesy of Find A Grave.