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.

Relativity plain as far as cemeteries go, but we went just to see the Showman's Rest and…read moreHagenbeck-Wallace train memorial. Showmen's Rest in Forest Park, Illinois, is a 750 plot section of Woodlawn Cemetery mostly for circus performers. It is owned by the Showmen's League of America. The first performers and show workers that were buried there are in a mass grave, between 56 and 61 employees of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus were interred. They were killed in the Hammond circus train wreck on June 22, 1918, at Hessville, Indiana. An empty troop train from Detroit, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, plowed into their circus train. The engineer of the troop train, Alonzo Sargent, had fallen asleep. Among the dead were Arthur Dierckx and Max Nietzborn of the "Great Dierckx Brothers" strong man act and Jennie Ward Todd of "The Flying Wards". Many of the stones have dates and are marked unidentified male / female. Many bodies were unrecognizable after the wreck and fire. I know there is also a Showman's Memorial in Colma California.

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.....

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.

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!

My family and I would like to thank the Hursen Funeral home but special shout out to Becky and…read moreAngelica. Extremely grateful for the tremendous guidance of their #1 employee Chela Q. she saw forward that everything came out smoothly during our heartbreaking moments. We unexpectedly lost my mother in law and since starting the process with them, they completely made the experience so much more bearable. The communication and understanding Chela provided was amazing. They provided us with all the information needed and helped us through all of our questions. That helped alleviate the pain making the process much smoother. We couldn't have chosen a better funeral home. Unfortunately sad to know that they know how to treat not appreciate their employees due to the arrogance of the owner Anthony. It looks like the place runs beautifully without his presence. If it would have not been for all of Chela help along with Becky I guarantee we would have gone with our option 2. This unprofessional owner doesn't have his employee there anymore when i tied to reach out to her 2 wks after. So I no longer recommend this place if you have to deal with Anthony.

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.

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.