Sunnyside Cemetery
90 Cemetery Road
Coupeville, Island County, Washington 98239
(360) 678-1152
Sunnyside Cemetery, a pioneer burying ground, is located on central Whidbey Island, near Coupeville, Washington. Its establishment began with the first burial, Winfield Ebey in 1865. In 1869, his sister, Mary Ebey Bozarth sold the one and a quarter acre where he was buried to the county for $1.00. While there are older grave markers there, such as Rebecca Ebey, 1853, they were actually exhumed and transferred to Sunnyside. Since that time, there have been six parcels of acreage added to Sunnyside, keeping pace with Whidbey Island's expanding population.
Many people visit our cemetery to mourn or simply feel closer to their loved ones, but others come for the peaceful solitude, beauty and history. The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars place flags and have a Memorial Day ceremony, and the Island County Historical Society sponsors a number of walking tours during the summer.
Today, the cemetery is well maintained by dedicated caretakers, volunteers and an elected Board of Commissioners. Resolutions are in place to protect the old part of the cemetery to maintain its history and integrity as a pioneer burying ground. Monthly meetings of the Board can be found on the website.
Coupeville Sunnyside Cemetery in Island County was founded in 1900. In 1916 the cemetery was handed to the City of Coupeville.
The Coupeville Sunnyside Cemetery’s management was under the City of Coupeville until 1938 when Coupeville Sunnyside Cemetery Association took over after its formation. The association took over the administration until 2011 when the cemetery land was deeded again back to the City of Coupeville.
The Coupeville Sunnyside Cemetery has incorporated several graves from the local cemeteries. One of the notable relocations of graves is one done by Coupeville Catholic Cemetery in 1993. After relocation, they erected a memorial with a list of names of the deceased whose graves were moved.
Coupeville Sunnyside Cemetery in Coupeville ranks number 1st out of the two cemeteries in Coupeville City in terms of popularity. Further, it ranks 9th out of 18 cemeteries in Island County, 34th out of the 229 cemeteries in Washington State, and 2672 in the United States.
Visit the Sunnyside Cemetery Website
