The cemetery was established in 1957 by Cornelius H. Doherty, Sr. (1896-1969). Cornelius H. Doherty, Jr., served as President from 1967 until 2010, and his son, Michael H. Doherty, served as President from 2010 until 2020. All three were/are practicing attorneys and have been instrumental in establishing Virginia laws regulating cemeteries. The family's dream was to have a funeral home on the property, and the 6-acre parcel on Braddock Road where it now stands had been set aside for that purpose.