Jessica Lazo did a wonderful job. Since I live many states away, a Find a Grave volunteer went to…read moretake a photo of a family grave marker from 1902, and could not find it. I knew he must have had a marker since he was in the U.S. Navy for many years and had a military funeral. She made sure that the grounds people searched for it, and it was found! 6" under dirt! Now placed where it should be! Thank you Jessica!

Never have I encountered less helpful people. Given that their business involves dealing with…read morepeople who have recently lost someone close to them, one would think there would be a sense of compassion, politeness, or at the very least, simple human kindness - none of those was to be found with this lot of ill-spirited vipers. Whether it was the disdainful tone of voice my sibling was greeted with when my mothers ashes arrived (something akin to the barking of news that the permit had not accompanied the cremains), the dismissive tone the person who is in charge of markers and monuments took with me (sample exchange - 'my father has a VA marker and I know we need the markers to match based on our last conversation' which was immediately interrupted with a 'sir, that's a government marker' - as if that morsel was either newsworthy or helpful to this particular conflict resolution), to the absolute refusal to let me finish a sentence during a phone call - these broads were absolutely, bar none, the least customer service oriented, let alone grief-sympathetic, of any representatives conceivable in the field. Some back-story - The burial plots in question have been in my mothers family since 1926. My maternal grandfather and great grandparents were buried in the adjoining plots, and though the cemetery had been lax in maintenance through the years, allowing my great grandfathers headstone to lay on the ground (as opposed to upright as it was intended to), my parents had decided to have their ashes interred there following their demises. My father passed in 2010, and as a vet of two wars, had a bronze burial marker courtesy of the VA. My mother passed away in early 2012, and given that they were to be interred together, I had contacted the cemetery to inquire about markers and restrictions. That was when my fun began. As it stands, I have outsourced the production of the marker as their own representative proved to be neither helpful nor pleasant to work with; I await the response of my rep with memorials.com with the results of her efforts to coordinate the installation of the marker. I will be providing an update at that time. In the mean time, avoid any direct interface with these people at all costs. I fully expect to see them exposed as disdainful examples of their profession in the local media, and would not be shocked in the least at what misdeeds could be uncovered.

Amazing 5 star highly recommend them they was also very professional with my wife medical alert…read moretask trained service dog

It is really an unfortunate occasion that brings one to a funeral home. When you enter, the office…read moreis to your left, viewing parlors to the right. As you walk toward the viewing parlors, there are short halls that lead back to a cross hall where the lounge and restrooms are located. There are stained glass windows along the hall and also in Parlor A. With the sun shining through, it was quite peaceful. There is a small parking lot located on the west side of the building and then another parking lot located across the street on the east side. Take precaution when exiting the lots onto Cermak Road.

6/21/26 FATHER'S DAY and the original mausoleum (west side of DesPlaines) is LOCKED and family must…read morego to the office get a key, surrender your driver's license, unlock the door, lock yourself in and then return the key to the office after your visit. HOW ABSURD IS THIS ON FATHER'S DAY??? Our father was interred in 1964 and we would visit often as we are still in the area. Mom, grandparents and many others are also there. DIGNITY left this property get so run down. Totally forgotten about. Numbers and letters lying on the floor that fell off the crypts and filthy. I could write volumes of all the issues but finally....finally updates have been made. There are still no benches to sit on while visiting?? Bathroom is also locked. There were issues of vandalism and homeless in the building so locking the building on down times is understandable. When Woodlawn owned the property it was PRISTINE. Dignity needs to figure out what their name stands for. The disrespect displayed here is shameful. Just because something is old doesn't mean you no longer value it. 0 Rating.....

Family has been buried there for over 110 years and expect we expect that will continue for many…read moreyears.

We recently had to use Johnson-Nosek services and I must say I was impressed…read more I have been to a number of funerals at this location, and when I noticed a different name at the end I was surprised and interested to see what had changed. The updates are great, sleek, modern and homey all rolled into one. Frank, his wife, and staff treat you like family, and everything ran like a well oiled machine. I personally loved to see a designated "cookie room" as well as an outdoor option to sit, and as a native Midwesterner, I'm always looking for options to be outside. All around great experience, no one wants to have to use a funeral home, but if you do, this is the place to use for your loved one.

My parents past away this past year. It was very difficult but Frank was so helpful. He made…read morearrangements so easy. Caring, thoughtful and continuously kind.

Great Funeral Home that I recently visited. Last time I was here it was over 10 years ago. The…read moreservice provided here for a friend of mine that recently passed away was above and beyond. Great levels of hospitality and it is a warm, inviting environment. What I do recommend that I think is the major issue here is that if you know that the person has a large family please carpool over here because parking is limited and I had to see people park half a mile away or across the street to make their way into the funeral home.

Our family will be forever grateful to Damar-Kaminski Funeral Home & Crematorium for the…read moreextraordinary care and compassion they showed us during the most difficult time of our lives. Losing someone you love is never easy, but the way they guided us through every step brought comfort when we needed it most. From the very first conversation, Bogdan Gal treated us not just as clients, but as family. His kindness, patience, and genuine empathy meant more than words can express. He handled every detail of the arrangements for Joanna Bednarz's funeral with the utmost dignity and respect. The service was truly beautiful -- thoughtful, elegant, and perfectly reflective of Joanna's life and spirit. Bogdan's steady guidance helped us feel supported and reassured through every decision. We are also deeply thankful to Renia, whose warmth and understanding comforted us from the moment we walked through the doors. She was incredibly organized, responsive, and gentle in every interaction, making a painful process feel a little less overwhelming. A heartfelt thank you as well to Donna and the entire staff. Every single person we encountered showed compassion, professionalism, and sincere care. Their attention to detail and quiet support during the service did not go unnoticed. They created an atmosphere of peace and respect that allowed our family to grieve, remember, and honor Joanna in the most meaningful way. In a time filled with sorrow, Damar-Kaminski Funeral Home & Crematorium provided light, comfort, and dignity. We will never forget the beautiful service they created for Joanna or the compassion they showed our family. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping us say goodbye with love and grace. May God Bless you all, Bednarz Family

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.

The ladies were very helpful. The owner Anthony is an asshole. Yelled at me. No compassion at all…read more Not only am I a client, I am a grieving widow. Good thing I talked to him on the phone - if we were face to face I would have slapped him good. He is in the wrong business. He should work in an alley somewhere.

Horrible experience. Anthony, the funeral director, lacked all sense of compassion, was completely…read moredisrespectful, made inappropriate jokes. In addition, he will take you for you're all you're worth financially. Avoid Hursen at all costs.

I must express the extreme gratitude we feel toward the Kopicki family funeral homes. Kevin, Eric,…read moreand Diana (including the other staff present) went above and beyond from the moment we called. We had to bring our deceased loved one from CA to Chicago and thanks to them the process was completely smooth and without any issues. We felt lost, this being the first funeral we ever had, and they walked us through the entire process with such care and dedication we felt we were family. Their compassion and their attention to detail is something we will never forget. They made every effort to accomodate our wishes and help with our grieving guests to the extent that restrictions for Covid allowed. Their prices are very reasonable and honestly, we are grateful they are the kind of family business that is there for you when you are in such a vulnerable situation. They never once pushed any add ons we didnt need, and kept our budget precisely as we needed. Honest, hard working, caring people. We were lucky to find them at such a difficult time. Highly recommend them to anyone that needs funeral services.

I was referred to Glenn (owner of Memories In The Making) as I searched for an expert to restore…read moreour family's memorial. What a lucky connection for me! Glenn was prompt in his responds to my questions as we decided on the best way to restore my great grandparent's monument. I live out of state but he kept me updated with email and photos. I flew back in October to see the monument and was thrilled with the outcome. I had no idea how much care is involved in monument restoration, and I'm very grateful for Glenn's experience and expertise. The before and after photos demonstrate the exceptional quality of Glenn's restoration.

Jim Farkas was so kind. I just lost my husband of 34 years and he was so understanding. He really…read morekept me from losing it. The services offered are reasonably priced. My husband wanted to be cremated and the price of this service was a lot cheaper than I was anticipating. Jim also did not try to up sell. He respected me and made me feel good about my decisions. I left feeling comforted and that I could reach out to them for anything at anytime.

Please educate yourselves! Lengthy but worth the read…read more My mother passed away last week Wednesday (3/22/2023). It fills my heart with sorrow to learn how people, in such vulnerable mental state, are taken advantage of. The prices for a certification of death are absolutely out of line. I can only imagine how much profit they gain from all of this. Below is the breakdown of prices for the certified death certificates from Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Division of Vital Records vs Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home and Cremation Services. For clear reasons, I was in a frágil state of mind, and failed to add an alias name on my mom's certificate. I called the next day, and was able to make the correction. No problem. Upon pickup, I was charged an additional $70. IDPH Division of Vital Records Certified Death Certificate -1st copy $19 Additional Copies-$4 Corrections /legal name change-$15 Additional Copies-$2 Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home and Cremation Services Certified Death Certificate -1st copy $50 Additional Copies-$10 Corrections /legal name change-$50 Additional Copies-$10 Source: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/resources/resources-obtain-birth/death-certificate/fee-schedule.pdf__;!!Bj3pJzH8i9PN1EsMi1am!wNYE8fpeKEodP3mXTjQfmyNM0RQYCsFncDsoeeL1xq7kvKfdj9ZHM2fe97N8q8CTjgijrcMtoZdi3jjE_RVrbPyU1KHaUVw6r5b1$ Yesterday (3/30/2023), a woman by the name of Nina, calls to apologize and tell me how they do not make any profit from the certificates (only the services and other items). All in all, I feel ripped off and taken advantage of by Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home and Cremation Services. I cannot express this enough, do you research. It's uncomfortable, I know, but reality is that death is inevitable.

This funeral home was absolutely the best . My God Mother passed very suddenly and they did such a…read morebeautiful job making her wake & funeral as lovely as a person she was to me my whole life. They were very kind at a very difficult time. If I still lived in Chicago I might make this my memorial venue as it's a stones throw away from where most of my family is buried.