Tahoma National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Kent, Washington. VA lists it as open for burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.
Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026
History of Tahoma National Cemetery
Tahoma National Cemetery was established November 11, 1993, and opened for interments on October 1, 1997. The cemetery was dedicated on September 26, 1997. A small expansion project was completed in March 2006. The $6 million project included over 12,000 new columbarium niches, more than 5,000 pre-placed crypts, road improvements, new signage, a third committal shelter and a third funeral cortege lane at the Public Information Center. Phase II of the expansion project was completed in June, 2014. The $24 million project included over 14,000 new columbarium niches, more than 9,000 pre-placed crypts, 6,000 in-ground garden cremation sites, two memorial walls and an ossuary. Two new roads for accessing the new burial sections were constructed using permeable asphalt. The three new columbarium complexes contain rain gardens and bio swales to help mitigate the need for storm water runoff and retention ponds.
Monument and Memorials Tahoma has a Memorial walkway containing 36 memorials that commemorate soldiers of various 20th century wars, donated by various service organizations. At the northeast corner of the walkway is the POW-MIA flag. At the southwest corner of the walkway is a carillon that was donated by the Navy Fleet reserve Association Seattle branch 18 and was installed in 2010, dedicated to the volunteers of Tahoma National Cemetery.
A Blue Star Memorial is located south of the Public Information Center. The marker was originally part of a banner that families displayed in their homes during the 1940s to signify that they had a loved one fighting in World War II. Today, the marker honors all veterans.
Notable interments
The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, with section and site where recorded.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.
Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
Corporal Jesse T.
Barrick (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company H, 3d Minnesota Infantry, for actions near Duck River, TN, May 26, June 2, 1863. Barrick received a commission as an officer, Company G, 57th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment, in July 1864; he mustered out of service that October. Second Lieutenant Barrick died in 1923. His remains were interred with full military honors in February 2000, in Section 8, Site 108.
Sergeant Dexter J.
Kerstetter (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company C, 130th Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division, for actions near Galiano, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 13, 1945. Kerstetter died in 1972 and is buried in Section 9B, Site 12.
Master Sergeant Wilburn K.
Ross (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 30th Infantry, 3d Division, for actions near St. Jacques, France, October 30, 1944. Ross died in 2017 and is buried in Section 28B, Site 479.
Other Burials GM1 Leo George Allard (World War II).
Allard (1922–2025) was one of only a dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor at the time of his death, having served honorably on the USS Reid on December 7, 1941. Allard was from Springfield, MA and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in October 1940 and joined the Reid crew in February 1941.
Section I, Row D, Site 13.
Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman, first American serviceman to die from hostile fire in the war in Afghanistan in 2002.
Sergeant Chapman was a communications specialist with the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, WA. .
Section 6, Site 33
Francis Agnes, former POW (1941 to 1945), survivor of the Bataan Death March, founder of the Tahoma National Cemetery Support Group .
Section 24, Site 717
Phillip F.
Smith was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1932, and he graduated from high school in California at 16. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in September 1949 with tours on USCG Cutters Rhododendron, Bering Strait, and Staten Island. On-shore assignments took him to California, Alaska, and Washington; in Washington's 13th Coast Guard District, Smith became one of the first Senior Enlisted Advisors. He served as the Second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from 1973 to 1977, when he retired. MCPOCG Smith's advocacy for the Coast Guard's Senior Enlisted Leader program continues to influence the service in the changes he made on behalf of enlisted men. He died June 22, 2017, and is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery .
Section 30B, Site 126
Mary Jean Sturdevant was born September 28, 1921, in Oregon.
The high school valedictorian then became one of three women to join the civilian pilot program at Southern Oregon University. Upon graduation she became an instructor and trained Army Air Corps cadets. Sturdevant was accepted into the Women Airforce (sic) Service Pilots (WASP) program but her value as an instructor was more important. Stationed at Merced (CA), she flew Army AT-6s and BT-13s and taught male pilots to fly until the WASP program ended in 1945. In 1977 WASPs were recognized as veterans, and in 2009 they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Pilot Sturdevant died June 24, 2017. She is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery .
Section FI, Row B, Niche 3
Directions
From Sea-Tac Airport, take Interstate-5 southbound to exit 142A (Highway 18 Auburn/North Bend). Stay on Highway 18 for 13 miles. Take the S.E. 256th Street exit. At the stop sign turn left onto 256th Street. At the first traffic light, turn right onto 180th Avenue S.E. proceed straight after three way stop. At the stop sign, turn right onto 240th Street. Tahoma National Cemetery is ¼ mile on left.
Flowers and grounds rules
Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.
The cemetery staff will place three floral arrangements, which accompanied the casket or urn at the time of burial, on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.
Who can be buried at Tahoma National Cemetery?
VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.
What does burial here include at no cost?
- A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
- Opening and closing of the grave
- A government-provided burial liner
- A government-provided headstone or marker
- Perpetual care of the gravesite
Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.
How do you schedule a burial at Tahoma National Cemetery?
- Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
- Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
- You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Tahoma National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.
Where is the Tahoma National Cemetery burial schedule?
VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Tahoma National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Tahoma National Cemetery directly at 425-413-9614.
Headstone, flag and burial allowance
- Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
- Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
- Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits
After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate
A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under Washington law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Washington and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.
Nearest cemeteries
The three veterans cemeteries closest to Tahoma National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:
- Fort Lawton Post Cemetery, Seattle, WA: 24 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Fort Worden Post Cemetery, Port Townsend, WA: 60 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
- Fort Stevens National Cemetery, Hammond, OR: 121 mi, open for burials
Funeral homes near Tahoma National Cemetery
A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.
- Edline-Yahn & Covington Funeral ChapelKent, WAMilitary honors services2.9 mi from the cemetery
- Cady Cremation ServicesKent, WA6.3 mi from the cemetery
- Personal AlternativeKent, WA6.4 mi from the cemetery
- Marlatt Funeral HomeKent, WA6.5 mi from the cemetery
- Earth Funeral HomeAuburn, WA6.9 mi from the cemetery
- Tulip CremationKent, WA7.6 mi from the cemetery