Burial at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery: A family guide

History of Cape Canaveral National Cemetery

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery was dedicated on November 20, 2015. The first burial took place on January 12, 2016.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) purchased the land in July 2012 for $2.1 million.

The initial phase of construction provides approximately 17,000 gravesites and accommodates both casket and cremation interments. In addition to gravesites and columbaria, the cemetery includes other features such as a front entrance on U.S. Route 1, a public information center with an electronic gravesite locator and restrooms, an administration building, a maintenance building, a flag pole assembly area, a memorial wall with ossuary and walkway, and committal shelters. Other cemetery infrastructure features include roads, landscaping, utilities, and irrigation.

Notable veterans buried at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration documents the following veterans of note buried at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, listed by section and site as recorded in the cemetery's official register.

• Ohioan Edwin T. Cowan (1920–2009) was a legendary Tuskegee Airmen who served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Flight Officer Cowan graduated from the pilot training program at Tuskegee in 1944. He flew B-25 Mitchell bombers for the 477th Bombardment Group. As a civilian, Cowan worked for the U.S. Postal Service before earning a Master of Education and becoming a teacher and principal with the Cleveland public school system. He retired after 22 years and in 1978 Cowan and his wife, Theda, moved to Merritt Island, Florida, where he co-founded a chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. In 2006, Tuskegee Airmen were honored for their service, belatedly, with the Congressional Gold Medal. Cowan's initial grave at St. Luke's Episcopal Church was unmarked. On February 7, 2019, Cowan and his wife (1920–2007) were reinterred at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery with full military honors (Section 11, Site 225).
• Alene B. Duerk (1920–2018) was born in Defiance, Ohio. A 1941 graduate of the Toledo Hospital School of Nursing, she was commissioned as an ensign in the Nurse Corps, USNR in 1943. During WWII she served at Portsmouth, VA and Bethesda, MD and in the Pacific theater aboard USS Benevolence (AH-13). She was released from active service in June 1946. After, she earned a B.S. from Western Reserve University. She joined the Naval Reserve in 1948 and was recalled to active service in June 1951. For nearly two decades, she served in positions of increasing responsibility across the globe and became director of the Navy Nurse Corps in May 1970. She became the first female flag officer in June 1972, and the figurehead for her gender in the Navy. She retired in 1975. RADM Duerk is interred at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery (Section 10, Site 777).

Eligibility for burial at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery

Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs covers the grave plot, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government-furnished headstone or marker, and a U.S. burial flag at no cost to eligible families.

Visiting hours

Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays. VA will continue its practice of honoring special requests for weekend burials for religious purposes, in cases of service members killed in action and on at least one day of any three-day Federal holiday weekend at all open VA national cemeteries.

How to schedule a burial at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery

1. The funeral home or family contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 (24/7 for active funeral arrangements).
2. Provide the veteran's full name, date of birth, social security number, dates of service, branch, and date of death.
3. Fax or email the DD-214 to the cemetery's interment office for verification.
4. Once eligibility is confirmed (typically 30–60 minutes for complete documentation), the cemetery assigns a date, time, and committal shelter.
5. The funeral home transports the deceased to Cape Canaveral National Cemetery at the assigned time. The cemetery handles opening, closing, and perpetual care from that point.

Where Cape Canaveral National Cemetery sits in the Florida cemetery system

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery is one of the veteran cemeteries operating in Florida. The cemetery is currently accepting new in-ground and columbarium interments. Families should verify status before planning.

For families considering alternatives, the nearest veteran cemeteries appear in our cemetery sidebar. If Cape Canaveral National Cemetery is fully reserved, those alternatives are typically the next options.