George, Forest and Draco did a superlative job on my parents monument. It included an etched…read morepicture. It is beautiful. I am exceedingly happy with them and also with their work. Emotions run high when we're dealing with parents or loved ones. These men understand that and are gracious, honorable men. Thank you from The Meinecke Family. We wish you nothing but the best in the future. Brad Meinecke

Not sure what the problem with this business is...I talked to George several times to ask him to…read moreshare some ideas for headstones for my Mother's gravesite. He told me he'd send examples but never came through...I left him several voicemails w/o any response. I guess they don't need the business or customers that can only afford a small grave marker is not good enough for them. I would not recommend ABC.

Beautiful little cemetery with lots of iconography. Some beautiful statues and carvings. I believe…read morethis is the first cemetery I've been in that had electric outlets under the benches around the mausoleum. Great way to charge your phone and visit with family. I read they built the mausoleum because they needed to add more space. Inside what i could see thru the windows was a very nice space for services. I love when Cemeteries allow people to do their own plantings on family plots. You can tell some take great care in their loved ones resting place.

This is a review for Charles Robertson (Chuck). I have…read moredecorations sent to my parents grave site twice a year and without fail he sends me a picture and a little note. One year, He mentioned that my Dads marker was sinking and he would be having it corrected. Recently, I reached out to him to for some contact information to have some grave makers made for some family members who didn't have proper identification. Within 24 hrs he send me a list of contacts. He is always very communitive, respectful, responsive and conscientious to the families and the those lying at rest at Ascension. Thank you for all your kindness, we truly appreciate you!

Ascension is a Catholic Cemetery, located in the Northern Chicago suburbs. It is a very large…read moreproperty, and the city/suburban sprawl has yet to encroach on its grounds. It's very peaceful and it is set back far enough from busy Buckley road to maintain that. We have family buried here, and can tell from experience that having such a well-maintained, much visited holy place lets you focus on the reasons why you are there. We also needed to also take care of some administrative business, so stopped by the office (open during normal business hours), and Renata was very kind and patient as we worked it out. As these things go, it will take time to work through it, but we feel a lot more comfortable knowing we will be working with Renata and her colleagues to get it resolved.

This is a beautiful, secluded and peaceful area for veterans. We visited a relative today and the…read moregrounds looked spectacular on this brisk fall day.

Montrose Cemetery on the north side has a particularly interesting history. I've seen it many…read moretimes, as I live fewer than two miles away; however, I've never know much about it. I took a self-tour of it recently to change that. Montrose is one of the trio of cemeteries on Pulaski between Foster and Peterson, with the other two being Saint Luke and Bohemian National cemeteries. Montrose is the youngest of the three, established in 1902. The cemetery was owned by Andrew Kirchner, who owned a funeral home, and is still an independent cemetery owned by his descendants. They did not have a One of the early burials was a victim of the Iroquois Theatre Fire, which was one of the deadliest fires in US history (if you're unfamiliar, I highly suggest reading about it). Of the over 600 victims, nearly all were claimed in the months following the tragedy--all but one, a woman who was never identified even though hundreds of people visited her over the course of six months. She was interred here in Montrose in a casket engraved The Unknown. Kirschner donated his services and the plot to this unfortunate victim. Today, there is a diamond-shaped Iroquois Memorial on the site, erected five years after the fire. Another unique monument here is a mausoleum placed by the Japanese Mutual Aid Society. That organization began purchasing several lots for use by people of Japanese descent in Chicago, so that they would have a place to be buried; the group also covered burial fees for those who were unable to afford burial. In the years surrounding World War II, there was growing anti-Japanese sentiment even as hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans came to the city, and these somewhat prescient actions on behalf of the JMAS to help their community were indeed an important measure to take. The Society acquired more plots and there are two sections of the cemetery that are dedicated to people of Japanese heritage, as well as a sitting area for quiet reflection. In addition to the large number of Japanese Americans buried here, there are a lot of people of Eastern European descent here too. There is an incredibly large memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide. It's a relatively new addition, installed around 2000. There are elaborate memorials to some of the religious leaders of one or more Eastern European Christian denominations as well.

Office staff not friendly. You have to call for appointment and you can see people sitting in the…read moreoffice and they won't answer the door. We asked a groundskeeper for a map and they said we had to call the office just for a map but you can literally see people just chatting in the building. You would think given the situation staff would be overly nice to help a person grieving.

Choosing a headstone for a loved one is never an easy experience, especially when they are still…read morepresent and sharing their final requests. Lisa made the entire process much more comforting and manageable. She treated my aunt's wishes with kindness and respect, making sure every detail reflected exactly what she wanted. Lisa was extremely patient and took the time to answer all of our questions without ever making us feel rushed. The website was also very user-friendly and allowed us to easily navigate through the different options to create what we envisioned. Lisa had such attention to detail and was very timely and efficient throughout the ordering process. Being able to preview the design gave us peace of mind in making our finial decision. The final stone turned out beautifully and looked exactly as expected once it was installed. It is a wonderful tribute to my aunt, and I truly appreciate the care and professionalism we received from Lisa at Peter Troost Monument. I would absolutely recommend them!

I can't saay enough about Peter Troost Monument Company. They guided me through this emotional…read morechallenge. I was responsible for planning my dad's end of life services 6 months prior to that fateful day. Lisa at Peter Troost - Palatine designed the monument in a step-by-step process, got my approval before moving forward along the way. After the job was completed she got another approval from me, and then installed the monument at the interment site with the reassurance that when the time comes she would have engravers come to the site and engrave the end date on the monument. I am thoroughly pleased with how professional and considerate Peter Troost was to me. I would recommend Lisa at Peter Troost to anyone who required their service. They would not be disappointed.

It was a nice day to stroll around Mount Carmel Cemetery today. I decided to hang out in Section A…read moreand take a few photos. Although I wasn't looking for her, I came across the "Italian Bride" monument. She's got quite the story. So, if you're interested look her up. Her real name is Filomena Buccola. Muscato and Lamanna is a nice looking monument. There are a bunch of rosaries around the neck of the lower statue. And it happens to be next to the "Italian Bride". The Greco monument has what looks like a couple child angels and a cross on top. I think it's cool that this monument has "Mother Theresa" on it. The McDermott monument is very near the corner of section A (nearest to the North entrance.) I LOVE Celtic crosses and really like the way this one looks. It had Celtic designs on the cross as well as symbols on all four ends. I'd like to figure out what the symbol on the top represents. There's not a ton of Celtic crosses in this area, so I appreate when I see them. The Marie Serritello monument grabbed my attention. It's quite different from many other monuments. It always feels much sadder when I see that someone has died so young. There were a few small statues and lanterns nestled inside the nooks. Angelina Serritello's headstone was in front of it. The A. Conforti monument appears to be named after Alessandro Conforti (1861-1933) who is the father of the two young children listed on the front. The mother is Margherita Marzano Conforti (1872-1936) Their two young children died at around 4 years old, but were not alive at the same time. Josephine G. (7/31/1908 - 6/4/1912) Joseph (Feb 1903 - 8/2/1907) They also had an older sibling, Benjamin (3/8/1897 - Jan 1960) Benjamin's spouse was Minni Ronnie (1897-1941) This was a sad one to see. The O'Shea monument also has a beautiful Celtic cross carved into the stone. I like that they added an epithet along the sides. The Rousseau mausoleum is beautiful...especially the front and the ornamental top. I took a photo of the front and also the stain glass window on the side. I'd like to go back and get the names and dates of those who have been interred here. Graziella Tito mausoleum had a bunch of black and white photos on the doorway. Stompanato and Dasto mausoleum had a boarded up entry. I bet the original doorway was beautiful. Enjoy all the related photos.

All cemeteries are repositories of history, of course. Mt. Carmel is one that has some more…read morewell-known cultural history because it is the final resting place of several people from Chicago's criminal underworld as well as the Cardinals of the Diocese. The most famous of these people would be Alphonse Capone. Born on the east coast, he rose to prominence as probably the most well-known leader of the Chicago Outfit. He served his sentence for tax evasion in Alcatraz, died of syphilis in Florida, and then upon his death was laid to rest here in the area where he was most prominent. One of Capone's major rivals, Dion O'Banion, is also at rest in this cemetery but don't worry, they're interred a fair distance apart. Deanie's grave is not nearly as ostentatious as Capones, but does have a significant monument. Dion had a passion for flowers, and owned a flower shop on the north side. But he met his end after he and his North Side Gang cheated Johnny Torrio (Capone's mentor and predecessor), and shortly thereafter Torrio was gunned down in his flower shop when three men came to pick up an arrangement for another mobster's funeral. Amongst the other underworld figures at rest here are Hymie Weiss, Roger Touhy, Frank Nitti, and Sam Giancana. On the other end of the spectrum (or not, depending upon your view of the Catholic Church) are the many high-profile priests laid here. Bishops Mausoleum is where Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, perhaps Chicago's most beloved cardinal, spends eternity. Several bishops and archbishops are also interred in this towering mausoleum. The cemetery is sprawling. There's also a very large number of mausoleums here--over 400, more than any other cemetery in the state; there's also a war memorial here. If you're seeking some of the "famous" gravestones, it can be a bit confusing since the layout is not terribly sensical (there are sections by number, but they're not necessarily in order). Capone is near one of the entrances, and O'Banion is relatively close to the Bishop's Mausoleum.

Filmmaker John Hughes and his wife Nancy lay here…read more So sad to report that Nancy Hughes passed away recently. In this cemetery you can visit her grave alongside her husband John Hughes, the 80's iconic filmmaker. This cemetery is city-owned and it's a burial place designated for its residents. Accepting burials until around 2050 (who knew there was a deadline?), if you're a resident you might want to make sure you reserve your spot, because it's getting a little crowded in there. I also worry about some of the graves that are on the very edge of the ravine now. I wonder what will happen when it continues to erode? What makes this cemetery special, is that it feels incredibly private with breathtaking views over a steep ravine. You can enter at the end of Lake Street, and there are winding roads where you can visit graves from the 1800s. Though it's snowing today as I write this, in the fall with the colored leaves everywhere, this place is magical and oh-so-peaceful. The back part of the cemetery has a certain energy about it. I don't know what it is in particular, but I don't get the same calm feeling from the front near the gate. The burial plots are much older back there. Haunted at night? Who knows? I figured there's no better time to write a cemetery review than on Halloween...

Gorgeous grounds and views of the lake. I love the unique monuments here and how historic some of…read morethem are. There is so much lovely art all over the grounds. If you do some research, you can also pinpoint some notable individuals at rest here. Lovely place to take a stroll.