At Hollywood Forever Cemetery by sunset, when the gates are closed and sunlight streams down its peaceful pathways, celebrities sleep amongst legends from film, television, music, theater and more. Right there with them should be the memory of Homer Alba. Homer died on May 14, 2025, at age 79. He served Hollywood Forever as Senior Vice President for 38 years, then Vice President Emeritus. After his retirement, Homer continued to contribute in any way possible. He loved Hollywood Forever beyond words.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Born August 10, 1945, Homer entered a world far removed from the cultural crossroads that would ultimately define his career. Homer was a proud graduate of UCLA with a degree in English Literature. Throughout his life he loved words, poetry, and the classics. That literary sensibility was not academic alone. Homer would write op-eds you could find in the Los Angeles Times. He had great perspective on history and people. If you talked to Homer, you would know he was not only a great administrator, but a poet at heart.
Alba became one of Los Angeles's most trusted experts on cemetery and mortuary issues. His influence reached far beyond Hollywood Forever. Alba served two terms as President of the Los Angeles County Funeral Directors Association and was the President of the California Funeral Directors Association (CFDA). After his time as President, he was recognized as CFDA Past President. Alba was also a member of the Cemetery and Mortuary Association of California. During his time in the funeral industry, he fought hard for professional ethics and standards. Alba had a steady and respected presence in the funeral profession.
Homer served as caretaker during a pivotal time in Hollywood Forever’s history. In 38 years, he watched the cemetery transform from financial burden and historic liability to interactive hub of remembrance, movie screenings and festivals. To Homer, the evolution of Hollywood Forever is a tribute to his view that cemeteries are meant to be dynamic pieces of history integrated into the city around them.
Though I did not know Homer personally, I had the privilege of meeting him on a couple of occasions, and more importantly, he read part of the first draft of my book Cemetery of the Immortals, my history of Hollywood Forever. In gracious correspondence by email, he supplied invaluable insights into the cemetery’s darkest hours — the troubling final days of Hollywood Memorial that led to bankruptcy, and the difficult tenure of former president Jules Roth — helping me fill gaps in the record with clarity, personal experience, and sometimes a touch of haunting detail that no public document could convey. For that generosity I will always be truly grateful. His contributions made my account more factual, more human, and yes, occasionally terrifying in its portrait of decline before the eventual rescue by Tyler Cassity and new ownership.
But Homer's impact stretched far beyond cemetery visits and professional associations. Homer was a Hall of Fame member of the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA), a staple in Los Angeles gay softball league play, and his involvement with GLASA dated back to its inception. Homer represented kindness, leadership, and community for GLASA players from the 1980s forward. He was there to welcome newcomers to the sport, encouraged future leaders, and made everyone around him feel heard and appreciated. His laugh, his sage advice, and yes — his infamous chisme — is what made GLASA what it is.\
A Vietnam veteran, devoted father, uncle, partner, world traveler, and mentor, Homer inspired trust wherever he went. His capacity to impart wisdom and encouragement enriched not only his colleagues in the funeral profession but also the countless young people and community members who crossed his path. He carried himself with dignity but without pretension — a rare combination.
When word of his death was announced, messages poured in from Hollywood Forever, GLASA, the funeral industry and far beyond. Those who remember him don’t just speak of a leader or a manager, but of a caretaker of memories. A memorial service was held at Hollywood Forever on the grounds he fought so hard to preserve and restore. It was fitting for a man so inextricably linked to his own legacy, both in life and death.
Today, as visitors stroll the shaded paths — including one bearing his name — pause before marble crypts, or sit quietly beside Sylvan Lake, they move through a landscape shaped in part by Homer’s devotion and vision. Homer Alba is survived by the countless lives he touched through his work, his mentorship, and his generosity of spirit. In Hollywood Forever’s ever-unfolding story — and in the broader story of Los Angeles — his name remains etched among its true immortals.
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