Our region’s resting grounds include grave markers that tell remarkable stories about people whose lives impacted our area throughout history.

Some were famous. Others were simply ordinary people who led extraordinary lives.

The Times News will look at some of these in periodic feature stories.

Jayne Mansfield

Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933.

She gained famed as actress, Playboy Playmate and sex symbol of the 1950s and ’60s.

Perhaps her most daring move was becoming the first major American actress to perform in a nude scene. This happened during the sex comedy “Promises! Promises!”

With platinum blond hair and striking good looks, she won beauty contests in Texas and California, leading to modeling jobs.

She made headlines after pulling a huge publicity stunt. At a pool press event in Florida, she “accidentally” lost her bikini top in the pool.

Interestingly, Mansfield was supposed to portray movie star Ginger in “Gilligan’s Island.” The TV role was written for her. But she turned it down and it went to Tina Louise.

On June 29, 1967, she was killed when her car rammed the back of an 18-wheeler, winding up partially beneath the trailer.

Her mother made the decision to bury her in Fairview Cemetery, Pen Argyl, in the family plot. Her father, Herbert Palmer, is also buried nearby.

The Dorseys

High in Shenandoah Heights in Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cemetery one can find the graves of the famous musical Dorsey family.

James was born on Feb. 29, 1904, oldest of three sons. Later came brother Thomas Jr., Mary and Edward in 1911.

Father Tommy Sr., a coal miner turned music teacher, taught Tommy and Jimmy to play musical instruments. Jimmy took to clarinet and alto saxophone. Tommy excelled on trumpet and trombone.

The brothers formed their first band while still teens, soon recording their own label.

However, the brothers often argued and eventually went their separate ways, although they reunited in later years.

In 1938, Jimmy was acclaimed in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” for playing the entire “Flight of the Bumblebee” in two breaths.

Their dad went on to direct the Lansford High School Band and the Pennsylvania Cornet Band of Tamaqua.

Tommy passed away in November 1956. According to the Tamaqua Evening Courier, he choked to death in his sleep in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sleeping pills were thought to be a contributing factor.

Not long after, Jimmy learned he was in final stages of cancer. He died on June 12, 1957.

Jimmy was buried with his parents and youngest brother, Edward, in the family plot. Tommy’s body rests in Valhalla, New York.

Nick Adams

Johnny Yuma was a rebel. He roamed through the West.

Those words are familiar to many baby boomers who recall “The Rebel” television series of 1959-61, starring actor Nick Adams.

Nicholas Aloysius Adamshock, of Ukrainian descent, was born in Depression-ravaged Nanticoke on July 10, 1931.

His family struggled to make ends meet, moving to New Jersey after the mining death of Nick’s uncle.

But life there was difficult as well. So, by age 18, Adams hitchhiked to Hollywood to seek his fortune as an actor.

“I want to do it for the money,” he told those he met.

For a decade, Adams fought to entrench himself in Tinseltown society, grabbing minor roles and working odd jobs to pay bills.

He became a friend to James Dean and Elvis Presley, among others. Eventually, the job opportunities improved.

In 1963, he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for portraying an unlikely murder suspect in “Twilight of Honor.” But he didn’t win and took the loss hard after spending $7,000 in advertising to promote himself with Academy voters.

Shortly thereafter, he began having marriage woes and financial concerns.

He could no longer find work and his wife secured a restraining order against him, alleging abuse.

He was found dead at age 36 from a prescription drug overdose of sedative paraldehyde and tranquilizer promazine. Together, they were lethal.

The coroner ruled a suicide or accidental suicide, undetermined.