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!

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!

Very nice facility Warm comfortable feeling…read more Courteous staff Nice decor ample parking

In February, my family faced the hardest days of our lives when my father passed away unexpectedly…read more We reached out to Lawn Funeral Home because they are located right around the corner from our home. From the moment we sat down with Dan to make the arrangements, we immediately felt comfortable and supported. Dan guided us through everything with compassion and expertise. He was incredibly knowledgeable about my father's military benefits -- something we hadn't even thought about -- and he even went with us to the cemetery to help with those arrangements. Dan also coordinated the church services and luncheon, taking so much off our shoulders during an overwhelming time. The wake and funeral services were truly beautiful. The facility is clean, modern, and very well-kept. The staff was wonderful, and the slideshow they created was absolutely beautiful. Even a week later, when I returned to pick up the death certificates, the kindness and care from the staff remained just as genuine. It's heartbreaking that we needed these services, but I am so grateful that we chose Lawn Funeral Home. They made an incredibly devastating time as smooth and comforting as possible.

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.

My mom has been buried in this cemetery since 2023. Every time we place a decoration, such as…read moreflowers, they end up disappearing. According to the rules, ground staked solar lights are permitted but when we added them to surround my mother's grave along with some artificial flowers, they were DESTROYED (a few graves nearby also had them like this and their's were untouched). They were piled up and broken and some of the stake vases with the artificial flowers were also destroyed, it seemed like they had been kicked and tossed around. Some of the flowers were missing too. I really wish I took a picture of the mess because it was TRULY DISRESPECTFUL. What made me and my family so angry was that it seems to only happen to us in our section. Everybody else around us have their decorations perfectly placed and not touched. We called to complain and they did absolutely nothing, only said some of the things were removed because they didn't meet the requirements when none of the decorations went past the size limit or were glass!

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.

I had trouble finding a grave and the staff in the office were a great help with the grave location…read moreand I was easily able to find it after their directions. I also requested that several of my family members grave markers be raised, and they were very helpful with placing the order for the maintenance staff. Thanks again to the office staff members Sandra Soto, Elvira and Mike for all their help, it was much appreciated! Regards, Raymond K. 07/29/2026

Very beautiful place clean and safe area. Beautiful statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Very nice…read moreatmosphere. Staff is amazing. There are deer and other animals that are so beautiful.

We felt that she didnt look like her picture. Was told they would provide pall barriers and at…read morethe cementry was asked if we have any volunteers. Was told they can't open the casket at the cementry, so asked the funeral director to take pictures; well he forgot, so we didnt have any pictures. Paid for extra flowers for the side of the casket at the cementry. That wasn't provide. So, we paid for something that we didnt get. Please do better and pay attention to the details that customers ask. Will never go back to this funeral home.

Attended a very nice service here. The space is decorated very tastefully and very bright and open…read more One of the nicer memorials home around.

Many family members are at Homewood Memorial Gardens. We reached out to Homewood Memorial Gardens…read moreafter our mother passed away. They took care of everything way above and beyond what I anticipated.

Fabulous tribute to all our local soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Annually a parade…read moreand wreath laying ceremonies by local VFW 8077. Local marching bands, orchestra, choir is a must attend community event.

I had the unfortunate circumstances to have to use Thompson and Kuenstar for a couple services over…read morethe last couple years they were fantastic and helpful and made the service work and day go very smoothly. They have a spacious break area to get away from the service for a nice break.

I think I was lied to. I was immediately directed to Holy Sepulchre cemetery in Alsip to buy a…read moreplot for my deceased husband. All of my close family members are buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, IL. As soon as I uttered St. Mary's, I was shut down. My mother's wake and funeral were in 1995, and my brother's wake and funeral were held at T&K in 2017. There was no problem, and our family was satisfied with everything. Both of these times, our dealings were with the same woman. My less than satisfactory experience with my husband's wake and funeral were overseen by a man (I won't even use his name). I've instructed both of my children that when I die, DO NOT hold my wake and funeral at Thomspon & Kuenster.