Baby gets grave marker 120 years later at Inglewood Park Cemetery

Baby Maytie Raker finally got a headstone today at the Inglewood Park Cemetery, 120 years after her death. City and park leaders honored the 4-month-old, they said to correct history. "We got to do the Raker family justice," Inglewood City Councilmember Alex Padilla said.

A review of historical records revealed that Maytie Raker's grave had remained unmarked for generations. She was the first person to rest at the cemetery on July 20, 1906.

"Today is one of those gone, but never forgotten moments. And we celebrate the life of Maytie …" Padilla said.

Cemetery leadership commissioned a permanent marker to ensure her place in the cemetery's history.

"We were here even before Inglewood was a city," Brendt Stallings, CEO of Inglewood Park Cemetery, said. "We at Inglewood Park Cemetery recognize the special place, the special role that we fill in the Inglewood and in the Los Angeles community. We like to say sometimes that we are probably the most permanent institution in this community."

Maytie's story also offers a glimpse into the Raker family history. She was the first child of King D. and Jessie Raker. Her younger sister, Hattie, also died in infancy the following year. Their brother, Alexander, lived until 1993 and carried the family legacy forward.

"That's what the city of Inglewood is. We are family, we remember important days and times, and we come together for the good times; we also come together to remember," City Councilmember Dionne Faulk said.

The grave marker is decorated with butterflies and a flower. "Forever in our hearts, Maytie Raker." Next to it is a grave marker for her sister Hattie Raker, "Resting in Heaven's Garden," it reads.

"Long after the stadiums have worn out, the arenas have worn out, Inglewood Park Cemetery will still be here,"  Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts said.