I contacted Clarendon Hills Cemetery a few weeks in advance of my recent visit (I live in another…read morestate) to plan ahead and get some ideas of what I would like (my parents and other relatives rest there). Carey Richardson was really helpful, communicating well via both phone (promptly calling me back) and by email (sending me services, prices, maps of the cemetery with the locations of various options). Then, when we met, she was well prepared and efficient. We finished all the paperwork in under an hour, including looking together at the site. I was thrilled (and could hop in my car and head out). Later, when I arrived home, she emailed a scanned version of the documents at my request. Many thanks to Carey and Clarendon Hills Cemetery!

My family member's grave missing items (more than once ). Which appears to be a problem here , I'm…read morenot the only victim . The grave was disturbed by large machine and took over a year to get attention , with minimal repair. Concerns brought to office staff were met with rude , unhelpful, and deceitful replies. The office staff worse part of experience . If could move my loved one I would ! Less than 1 star

I contacted them once my husband passed and they charged me for a cramerion they never did. my…read morehusband was sendt to chicago since we donated his body. when Imquestiooned them why they charged me for a creamtion they never did they said,it was for,paperwork,but clearly on my paperwork,it said creamation which by the way when my husband was donated the place in chicago cremated him for free so DuPage never did anything for him when I questioned them they said it was for paperwork clearly my papaerwork said creamation I even showed them that . they also said that they never had me in there system well they are so wrong all they have to,do,is look at Sept 20 2020 in the morning of his passing at the West Chicago I'll facility when I went to them for my husband Jose Santiago. look his name up,on there website for obituaries you,will see it thee so,not,only,do they charge for services they never did they lie about it being there. plus they would never give me back a refund for a service they charged me for but never did. if they can lose paperwork what else can they lose just asking.

It feels a bit strange to review a funeral home but I am very happy that I decided to use Dupage…read moreCremations when my mom passed away a couple of months ago because they made everything very streamlined. I had visited the location a couple days before my mom passed and they were very respectful and took down all of our information so that after my mom passed they were able to just come in take her body to the home. They also were able to get all of our official documentation information filled out at that moment as well. We had the basic cremation package which allowed us a 30 minute viewing. The space was clean and allowed us some private time with my mom before she was cremated. Receiving her remains and death certificate was also very efficient. We received both a couple business days after the viewing. Thank you for making a difficult life event pain free and simple. That was very important for us as we grieved.

This is a massive cemetery with so many stories to tell. I was here for over an hour, visiting the…read moreHaymarket Martyrs' Monument, the grave of Emma Goldman, the Druid Monument and the final resting place of radio story teller Paul Harvey. It is in excellent condition though a few of the lanes could use some repaving and yes, it's super annoying that the bridge is closed for repair because it's a heck of a drive to get to the other side of the river to see the rest of the cemetery. While I was here, I spotted a herd of 7 or 8 deer including a six-point buck. They're just chilling and I hope they stay here a while as it's safe for them. (Deer love the flowers people leave on graves. It's like candy to them.) If you're here to visit family or friends, I am sorry for your loss. If you're here being a tourist as I was, please be respectful of the folks who are visiting. This is an active cemetery that still has current interments. Yield to funeral processions. [Review 20625 overall - 172 in Illinois - 1606 of 2023.]

Relatives are buried at this cemetery...But I tell ya, driving through the grounds can be extremely…read moretreacherous on your vehicle give the massive potholes and lack of cemented roadway. Not to mention when the ground is damp/wet, your car leaves the cemetery literally covered with mud at the bottom, tires, etc. It is hard to get out of your vehicle due to HUGE puddles of water.

When I came to Chicago years ago, Mt. Carmel was the cemetery I most wanted to visit (if…read moreinterested, check out my review). Following that visit, I crossed the street and entered Queen of Heaven, a more modern (consecrated in 1947) resting place consisting of 470 acres. As I've noted in other reviews, I've always been fascinated by organized crime history, and Chicago's organized crime is an integral and prominent (if often unwanted) part of that city's history. I always try to conduct myself respectfully and discreetly in cemeteries, knowing these are holy places where people come to mourn. The overwhelming majority of the "permanent residents" of Queen of Heaven were honest, hard-working people who tried their best to make their way in the world. The cemetery boasts the largest Catholic mausoleum in the world, and it's indeed an impressive structure, a work of architectural splendor. Inside, I found the vaults of Tony Accardo, perhaps the most successful and powerful Mafia boss in history; Paul Ricca; Sam Battaglia; and Fiore Buccieri. I had a camera with me but I didn't take any pictures. Why? Because there were security cameras everywhere and I didn't want anyone to misinterpret my purpose, and think I was being "disrespectful." The Chicago mob was unique in being surprisingly egalitarian, a meritocracy (a large number of its reps in top positions were Jews, Irishmen, Greeks, Bohemians, a Welshman, etc.; their abilities counted more than their ethnicity), but they were also known for a countless number of savage "hits." I didn't actually think anyone was going to take a blowtorch to me for snapping a photo of Joe Batters' private vault. Still, I wasn't about to press my luck. Outside, it was more relaxed. I found the grave of "Mad Sam" DeStefano, a figure of particular fascination for me. Physically a cross between Fred Flintstone and John Belushi, reading about some of his "antics" had caused me to laugh out loud. He forced a court hearing for a $10 traffic ticket, had himself carried into court on a stretcher, shouting through a bullhorn, "Birmingham, Alabama, here I come...We are living in a Gestapo country...Hello to all the stool pigeons in the witness quarters..." It wasn't all laughs. FBI Agent Bill Roemer called him "the worst torture-murderer in Chicago's history." When Sam's wife Anita angered him, he kidnapped a black man walking on the street at gunpoint, and forced the man to rape his wife as punishment for his wife, who now lies buried beside him. Does she rest in peace, or does she dread the thought of the coming "Day of Judgment" when the dead rise from their graves and she has to see Mad Sam's ugly face once again? Hopefully, if there is a God, He'll spare her that. Mad Sam was shotgunned to death in 1973 while sweeping out his garage. The man believed to be wielding that shotgun is buried across the street, literally a stone's throw away. Tony Spilotro, the hitman portrayed by Joe Pesci in "Casino." The man who once squeezed a man's head in a vise until the man's eyes popped out of his head in order to extract information. On "Judgement Day," will Mad Sam see him, ignore Anita, and shout out, "You, you're the dirty ______ who shot me!" In another direction is the impressive monument to James Torello. If you read "The Exorcist," Blatty quoted a surreptitiously recorded conversation where Torello described torturing a 300-pound loan shark to death: "Jackson was hung up on the meat hook. He was so heavy he bent it. He was on that thing 3 days before he croaked...We tossed water on him to give the (cattle) prod a better charge, and he's screamin'..." I'm a non-Catholic, and Yelp is not the place to argue theological issues such as faith, grace, redemption, etc. But I couldn't help thinking about such issues as I walked around this beautiful, peaceful cemetery. Did the Catholic hierarchy really think Mad Sam "made his peace" with God in the seconds before that fatal shotgun blast? He's lying in sacred, consecrated ground. Supposedly, Spilotro asked to say a prayer (and was denied) before he was beaten to death, but does that transform a serial-killing monster into someone worthy of Heaven? As another, non-Catholic example-- "Tex" Watson, Manson's chief killer, has his own prison ministry and claims to be "saved." Is he sincere? What if he is? Someone who can stick a knife 30-something times into an 8-month pregnant woman permanently severs whatever tenuous links he may still have to humanity, as far as I'm concerned, and obviates any possibility of redemption or forgiveness. To me, that's a spiritual brokenness that can never be fixed, whether it's Tex, or Charlie, or Mad Sam, or Tony the Ant. I don't mean to sound overly harsh in discussing this cemetery...other cemeteries, religious and non-sectarian alike, have evil people buried in them...but these were the thoughts occupying me as I wandered about these peaceful acres. Maybe that's the reason I still identify as an agnostic.

I've been coming to Queen of Heaven cemetery since I was a child, my grandparents are in the…read moremosoliuem, my mom and sister are buried in the same section, today I went to visit them, so hard to find their grave, they have flat markers,. To make it easier to cut the grass, as you can see, you can't read the markers so much grass and dirt on the markers, it took me 30 min. To find my mom, and I never did find my sister. All the dirt and grass you see to the side is from me clearing them with my bare hands, I went to the office to complain as I have done many times before. The man who took my report, told me, we have over 500,000 thousand grave, he would have someone look into it. Do they tell you this when you buy the gravesite, NO. They are sort of to the back of the cemetery, no one looks there, if you have a tall grave marker your good. This is a real embarrassment, and I don't believe the Queen of Heaven would be happy.

They could improve there customer service! The employees are usually very rude-and not very helpful…read moreespecially when people are dealing with tragedies. My family made a mistake getting plots at this cemetery!

I was surprised to see the negative reviews for Holy Sepulchre. My family and extended family have…read moreburied their loved ones there for years. Since the 1980s I have buried over 10 people, and have made my arrangements as well. I visit the cemetery often and have always found it to be well kept and beautiful. I have dealt with the office staff on a number of occasions and found them to be most helpful. I sometimes lose a grave or two and the office is always helpful in sending out staff to help me find them. If a grave is neglected for any time, the marker may not be visible. Time and earth movement can make the markers sink, so it is up to family to inform the office so that it can be retrieved. I have never had any problems with these services, including flower decorations and placement. I get frequent correspondence informing me of the clean-up times so that if I desire, I can retrieve any flowers or decorations on my graves. Over the past 50 years of dealing with the cemetery I have not encountered any problems, except finding a grave at time. Keep up the good work!

A bit antiquated. So I came in for my friends father who had passed away. I go to wakes all the…read moretime because when friends need me, I have to pay respects. This funeral home is nice but very simple as far as decoration. It seems like they got stuck in a time warp from the 70's. With its paneled walls and carpeting. Although still a bit dark for my taste. They do have lamps all around, but I think that makes it seem older. Most of the wakes I have come to here are from the neighborhood. Older Polish families, but with the influx of Latinos, times are a changing. I like the fact that although parking lot is small, its still can hold at least 30 cars which of course is not bad. The service was simple, they put snacks in the kitchen (which also is a bit on the older side), and well what else can I say. Would I have my own family for a service here? Ehhh, probably not, but it is simple and I am sure inexpensive. I asked my friend (yes we have a pretty good relationship that I can ask), if her family spent a lot here. She stated the reason they had it at this particular home is because their prices are compatible. But there you go.

My uncle was in hospice and asked my sister to start planning his funeral services. He didn't have…read moreany children and my sister and I stepped in to help. We were very close to him and this was very emotional and difficult to do. We had never had to plan services and didn't know where to begin. We visited a few other locations in the area and were greeted in a very "business" manner. Although we were trying to fulfill our uncles wishes by planning ahead, some of the nearby funeral homes refused to discuss options in detail or show us caskets because he had not passed away yet. Despite my sister having legal documents to prove she was his power of attorney, one gentleman in particular told us that one of my uncles siblings had to be present to make arrangements as that was his next of kin. We left the location feeling very disrespected and disappointed. Im glad we left because upon entering Modell we were greeted by Mari. Our experience from that moment on was one we will never forget. She was very helpful, compassionate and patient. She took her time to show us around, answered our questions and never once did she question our intentions. She allowed us to pick out every detail without asking us for a dime. We then met Gloria and we felt right at home. My uncle ended up passing away later that week and we were glad were able to plan ahead. I can't imagine making arrangements during those difficult times. All in all I have much respect for this place and all of its staff. My uncles services were perfect and Gloria did such an amazing job with his makeup. Modell is family owned and we were treated like family from the moment we walked in, to when they picked up his body at the hospital, to the moment he was laid to rest. Im thankful for their team and I highly recommend their services.

My family and I used Marik-Baken to provide both memorial and funeral services for my late wife…read more During the entire planning process they were both very helpful and considerate. Barbara and Matthew helped us each step of the way and provided many excellent ideas on how to make the service as special as we wished. They were personally supportive at all times. I highly recommend them for the excellence of their professional services and the supportive manner in which they helped us during a difficult time. Brent B.

Our Mother and Father have been cared for at their passing at The Oaks Funeral Home. Our Mother…read moreover 30 years ago and most recently our Father. We were guided with care and dignity with pre preparations via a prepaid funeral service policy that made the final stage less stressful. Dignity and kindness from the entire team. At a most difficult time of our Fathers passing at 99 Years, we were grateful for the care of The Oaks staff and owners.

In my grief I could not ask for a better funeral home to guide me through some very hard decisions…read more Andrea, who had patience and kindness made things much easier than I expected. The staff at The Oak Funeral Home are all courteous professional people. We had a viewing at the Church and a Mass to follow with a private burial. From start to finish they were there guiding us and handling everything. I highly recommend this funeral home and their staff for any of your loved ones.