For the king's ransom funeral homes and cemeteries charge for their services and "products,"…read morecemeteries should at minimum keep the grounds mowed (especially prior to Memorial Day weekend), gravestones easily visible, and the vases someone paid dearly for should always be usable. And they should have clear and readable maps of the grounds (with letters in a type size larger than "invisible"), and a supply of those in a box outside their office so you have access even when the office is closed. And/or, in this century, they should provide that map on a website. The letter/number markers on the curbs that are supposed to provide a key to locate the broad general area of this huge cemetery are mostly worn off, so...even with a map...good luck! Their never-updated paper maps have been reproduced so many times everything blends into a gray mass. Since the entire population that "live" in cemeteries are, well, dead, it appears the company thinks their job is done after they collect their fortune for a plot and accoutrements. After all, especially in this time in history, not many generations even visit cemeteries, and those underground have no voice...and it's too late to request a refund! And how many of us still living would take the time to post (or for that matter, read) a review for a cemetery? The semi-attached vases on headstones that you should be able to pull up and set upright for flowers were almost all hopelessly embedded in the ground, and further locked in place upside down by sucking thick mud. If you visit this cemetery, lug along pliers to turn the knob to align the vase notches correctly, a crowbar to pry the vases out, something to claw the mud out of them with, grass trimmers or scissors, a magnifying glass to read their map (IF you are able to get one), and paper towels and hand wipes because your hands will get filthy in the vase-excavation process! I think Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery only accepts deceased Catholics. I hope other more well-kept cemeteries might make room for Catholics who don't want their graves not only forgotten, but also almost impossible to find!

For those criticizing the upkeep of cemeteries such as Mt. Olivet, I challenge you to come here…read moreevery day (except in inclement weather) for a year and then 2-3 times a week after. Doing so will give you a greater appreciation for the amount of work required to maintain a cemetery. Imagine weed-eating around hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, headstones, markers, trees, bushes, vases, etc. Imagine trimming hundreds of hedges and trees. Imagine trying to maintain all of the landscaping while preventing damage from herds of deer, flocks of geese and all of the usual animals that eat and damage plants, requiring special preventative work. Imagine doing so under-staffed, while also being on a crew that maintains four other cemeteries. Imagine maintaining the exterior structures--walls, fencing, flower bed enclosures and fountains--as well. Imagine doing so while also having to excavate and install for a headstone, marker, or columbarium, and setup and take down of tents, flooring and chairs for an average of 3 funerals a week, but triple that during Covid. The cemetery costs you complain about would have to be three times as much in order to keep a staff required to meet your expectations. I wonder why you see helping to maintain your loved one's final resting place as a burden instead of an act of love? My son is here and the staff have been kind, considerate and I witness them hard at work every time I come. They do their very best and very seldom get any appreciation from others. They witness sadness, despair and devastation daily, and some work here to be closer to their own departed children, parents, family and friends. It would be a better world if people could complain less, appreciate more and cultivate empathy and understanding.

This historic cemetery is run by an ALL VOLUNTEER board of trustees who are very responsive & caringread more

I wanted to update my review after attending the 150th anniversary celebration for Elmwood Cemetery…read moreover the weekend. Their board of directors and volunteers did a fabulous job of bringing the place to life for a few hours on a beautiful autumn day. Multiple food trucks were in attendance and historical Kansas Citians were brought to life with actors telling their life story next to their graves. Most impressive was the re-opening of the recently refurbished Armour Chapel. Built in 1902 to honor her late husband Kirkland Armour (Armour meats / Armour Rd.). Built with stone and timbers, it features angelic gargoyles, hand carved pews and beautiful stained glass. I witnessed Gerald Trimble and Jambaroque in concert - a perfect setting with wonderful acoustics. They are scheduling a concert series for the venue along with rental for weddings and funeral services. One of my favorite places to visit in Kansas City. A bit of history and scenery while enjoying the outdoors for free.

The service requested is not what you think. My mother bought a lot for a mausoleum but in turn…read moregiven another location unknown to her. They basically told us she could not afford the place she originally picked out. The manager came in towards the end only to make things worst and more confusing. This has not been a great experience for this family.

I had cremated remains of my mom in my home, in an urn, and wanted to have them interred next to my…read moredad at Mt. Moriah, where they owned a plot for her. I was over 600 miles away, in Denver. It was hard to get up the courage to make that first phone call to them! They made it so much easier. I will never forget Susan Highberger's humor and kindness, she was wonderful! After emailing and telephoning back and forth for a couple months, we came up with gorgeous results for my mom. I was overwhelmed by the marker, the flowers in the vase and the spectacular view of the cemetery. The trees!! What I had dreaded became one of my favorite accomplishments.

Located in between The Atkins-Johnson Farm Museum Campus and the Carriage Hills subdivision is one…read moreof Clay County's oldest cemeteries, with burials from the 1820's to 1947. The Shoal Creek Church once stood on this ground from those early years also. You can see a small corner of the original structure and they have erected benches and an entrance frame to show where the church once stood. The cemetery was neglected for decades, but now is fairly well maintained and has plenty of signs explaining the history of the grounds. A good place to explore for local history buffs. The city of Gladstone has done a wonderful job keeping this part of history for disappearing.

I have attempted to visit Sheffield Cemetery on several occasions when in the neighborhood; which…read moreis usually on a Saturday while on a taco run. The gates have always been locked, I assume because of the Jewish Sabbath. My visit yesterday on Memorial Day was successful for entering but slightly unusual. Most cemeteries on Memorial Day are filled with families visiting graves and decorating the tombstones and lawn with flowers and ornaments - not here. I was the only soul on site for the 40+ minutes I wandered amongst the 5500 graves. Even more puzzling; was besides the small American flags at the graves of veterans, there was ZERO decorations in the entire Cemetery. No people, and no tacky plastic flowers or broken wind chimes; just a well manicured lawn with tightly packed tombstones in perfect rows for my isolated inspection. The oldest graves are early 20th century, so nothing too ancient and no one of historical relevance that I could detect in an on-line search. I wandered the lonesome resting grounds alone under a gray overcast sky with low dark clouds while multiple freight trains rumbled along the viaduct just south of the perimeter fence. The Hebrew writing, the stars of David ever present and the line of WWII casualty / veteran graves in the back west corner all triggered emotions of sorrow that I have not felt at other final resting grounds, even though I didn't have any personal connection to anyone buried there. Having just bought tickets for the upcoming Auschwitz exhibit coming to town, I was certainly attuned to the somber reminder of what many of these people beneath my feet had fled from or watched with horror from personal connections. A moment in time that I'll always remember and could never duplicate.

This is a Jewish cemetery by the railroad tracks in KS. We stumbled on it by accident while we were…read morelooking for another cemetery. It was getting dark when we arrived, but when we pulled up to the front of the gates, the lovely and interesting caretaker, allowed us to take a few minutes to look around. She was quite the odd duck and chattered on endlessly, as though she had not had any visitors for a long, long time. She allowed us to not only drive around the very compact, very tightly packed holy grounds, she was kind enough to look around the newly renovated holy buliding on the premises. By tradtion, in most Jewish cemeteries, the headstones are packed very closely together and and are all looking in the same direction. The older the headstones, the more likely the names, dates and thoughts are written in Hebrew. One strange note....as we drove up to the gates, the sun had already started to down and it was cold. Out of literally NOWHERE, a little boy about 10 years old, rode his bike up to my husband and asked "Are you guys going inside?" My husband replied that we were if the caretaker would let us in and asked him what he was doing outside in such a desolate area. The boy had big dark eyes and black hair, a ratty hoodie and an even rattier dirt bike. He didn't answer my husband but as the caretaker came up to the gate, she saw him to and yelled, "You can't come in, go around." At which point my husband turned to look at the boy and say he was sorry, he couldn't come in with us, and the boy had vanished! This is a cemetery surrounded by railroad tracks and a busy train yard....it was very odd indeed.

There's a cemetery casually permitting cars to pass by and people to walk from the adjacent…read moreapartment complex to the QT behind the fence. To some, it may be an odd mix of stone and grass in a growing suburbia, but it can also show the acceptance of the space. This cemetery is not large. It does not take long to explore. One can find weathered headstones from the early 1900s revealing the culture value of a woman as the "wife of" someone. One can find those who gave their lives to military service. While reading the graves or exploring history, here are some things to examine here and at other burial sites. Not every resting place has these feature. - The chronological placement of people - The use of dates (year vs exact day) - Language engraved into the stone - Broken or toppled headstones (don't vandalize) - Weathered headstones that are hard to read - Replaced headstones (stone type doesn't match lifespan) - Footstones (normally with initials) - Stone type and size - Section names - Potter's field (where nameless people are buried) - Maintenance of the grass and other plants - Presence of real or synthetic flowers - Offerings of pebbles or pennies - Trash (to please throw away)

We planned a funeral with them for my best friend's dad. They didn't offer to do an obituary nor…read moredid they show us the chapel. When you loses someone you are lost and then when they don't offer suggestions or things to do it is very disappointing.

Went here for a funeral and there's plenty of parking. It's close by to the cemetery and to the…read morehighway/Midway Shopping Center. Hard to pass or miss. It's pretty roomy for visitation. Staff were respectful and kind. Everything was presentable as well. No photography or videos allowed out of respect.

Thatcher's has served our family on many occasions, and have always served us well. The staff at…read moreThatcher's has gone above and beyond to make sure our experience was such that we would work with them again when needed. Because of their professionalism and quality workmanship, I would highly recommend them to anyone needing to make final arrangements for their loved one.

Poor service, they are out for the buck and don't care if your love ones can't view the body! Worst…read morefuneral home in this area! Sorry you can't view even though your insurance policy was just approved the day of the funeral! What a joke! Why didn't they postpone it if we couldn't view brother Louis!!! Greed greed greed!!