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.

Beautiful well kept cemetery…read more WHEATON CEMETERY Taken from a plaque in the cemetery. "Wheaton Cemetery provides the final resting place for many individuals with ties to Wheaton. The Wheaton Cemetery Association formally incorporated February 14, 1857 by a special act of legislature. In 1861 the original three acre tract of land for the cemetery was acquired from Jesse C. Wheaton, by a combination of purchase and donation. As you make your way through the grounds, the history of Wheaton reveals itself in a tapestry of names, reminders of those who enriched our community through the years. Among those buried in these grounds are Wheaton's founding fathers: Erastus Gary (1806-1887), Jesse C. Wheaton (1813-1895), and Warren 1.. Wheaton (1812-1903). Artistic sculpted monuments create a beautiful memorial park as well as an enduring tribute to those buried here. The stately gray structure is the Gary Mausoleum, constructed by Elbert H. Gary in 1912 of granite from Barre. Vermont. The earliest section of monuments can be found in the front portion of the grounds, on and around the rise. Wheaton Cemetery continues to serve the community, by providing an opportunity to remember those who have gone before us. Established as a Wheaton Historic Site in 1993"

Who writes a review for a cemetery? It would appear I'm about to be the first…read more My stepfather passed away earlier this year and in the midst of helping my mother and sister make all the arrangements, I learned that Wheaton Cemetery was going to be Peter's final resting place along with my mother on day MANY MANY YEARS from now. We visited the cemetery the day before his wake and my mother showed my sister and I where they would be buried. I know it may be a bit morbid, but hey, we're not gonna live forever and if you think about it, a cemetery is something some, if not most, people will have to pick out at some point. Wheaton Cemetery is a small cemetery on Warrenville road off Roosevelt. It's a beautiful cemetery filled with old trees and truly beautiful scenery. It's an older cemetery near a residential area and located directly next to St. Michael's cemetery. If you're not careful, you may accidentally pull in the wrong place if you're heading here. From what I understand they have recently expanded their grounds and are opening up some more burial sites. I never really thought about where I wanted to ultimately end up but I know I want to be with my husband and I would love to be near my mother and/or sister if possible. Their pricing is quite reasonable from what I'm told and hoping that I have many, MANY years before I will actually require their services, I may look into a site at this cemetery one of these days. After all, my mom will be nearby and my stepdad, Pete, is already there waiting for the company.

I contacted them once my husband passed and they charged me for a cramerion they never did. my…read morehusband was sendt to chicago since we donated his body. when Imquestiooned them why they charged me for a creamtion they never did they said,it was for,paperwork,but clearly on my paperwork,it said creamation which by the way when my husband was donated the place in chicago cremated him for free so DuPage never did anything for him when I questioned them they said it was for paperwork clearly my papaerwork said creamation I even showed them that . they also said that they never had me in there system well they are so wrong all they have to,do,is look at Sept 20 2020 in the morning of his passing at the West Chicago I'll facility when I went to them for my husband Jose Santiago. look his name up,on there website for obituaries you,will see it thee so,not,only,do they charge for services they never did they lie about it being there. plus they would never give me back a refund for a service they charged me for but never did. if they can lose paperwork what else can they lose just asking.

It feels a bit strange to review a funeral home but I am very happy that I decided to use Dupage…read moreCremations when my mom passed away a couple of months ago because they made everything very streamlined. I had visited the location a couple days before my mom passed and they were very respectful and took down all of our information so that after my mom passed they were able to just come in take her body to the home. They also were able to get all of our official documentation information filled out at that moment as well. We had the basic cremation package which allowed us a 30 minute viewing. The space was clean and allowed us some private time with my mom before she was cremated. Receiving her remains and death certificate was also very efficient. We received both a couple business days after the viewing. Thank you for making a difficult life event pain free and simple. That was very important for us as we grieved.

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.

Sad day, but it was handled very well by the staff at Peterson-Bassi, especially for services…read moreprovided in the midst of the Covid pandemic. We've just attended a brief in-person visitation, and safety protocols were excellent: floor taped to ensure distancing, limitation on how many visitors at once, masks, and many hand sanitizer stations. We will watch the services at home via a Zoom link now. Grateful for the care provided to the grieving family and friends. Thank you to the staff. Parking was not a problem. There are probably 25-30 spots in the lot and also a lot of nearby (metered) street parking.

Sabrina Bassi LaBarbera and her brother, John Bassi, treat you like a member of their family from…read morethe moment you call them to ask for their services. When my mother died, they were available to us 24/7 for an entire week, responding promptly to text messages and phone calls. Sabrina herself came to get my mother's body from her apartment and anticipated every single one of our family's needs. John oversaw every part of the funeral Mass at the church, helped direct the procession to the cemetery, and even called the restaurant when things ran late and he knew we would be late for the funeral luncheon. Losing a loved one, especially a parent, is extremely difficult, but the Bassi-LaBarbera family made things so much easier. Highly recommend them.

I contacted Clarendon Hills Cemetery a few weeks in advance of my recent visit (I live in another…read morestate) to plan ahead and get some ideas of what I would like (my parents and other relatives rest there). Carey Richardson was really helpful, communicating well via both phone (promptly calling me back) and by email (sending me services, prices, maps of the cemetery with the locations of various options). Then, when we met, she was well prepared and efficient. We finished all the paperwork in under an hour, including looking together at the site. I was thrilled (and could hop in my car and head out). Later, when I arrived home, she emailed a scanned version of the documents at my request. Many thanks to Carey and Clarendon Hills Cemetery!

My family member's grave missing items (more than once ). Which appears to be a problem here , I'm…read morenot the only victim . The grave was disturbed by large machine and took over a year to get attention , with minimal repair. Concerns brought to office staff were met with rude , unhelpful, and deceitful replies. The office staff worse part of experience . If could move my loved one I would ! Less than 1 star

Cemeteries all hold priceless history as well as the final resting place of our loved ones. Holy…read moreCross Cemetery is predominantly Polish in heritage as the entrance pillars also read Holy Cross in the language of the Poles. There is also a large Croatian section. Many Irish, Italians, Mexicans are also interred at Holy Cross as all are welcome to this Catholic cemetery. Band leader Gene Krupa and Speck murder victim, Gloria Davy are buried here too. Beautiful grounds and stunning mausoleum complex. The office is an architecturally significant structure. Great staff and cemetery workers make your visit go well. Lovely well kept grounds. Rest in Peace loved ones.

Well maintained, easy to navigate, with helpful staff…read more (I don't know what else one is supposed to review a cemetery on?)

Great old historic Catholic cemetery. In the office in Queen of heaven and the mausoleum, their…read moreare kiosks to look up loved ones. They have Hillside PD patrolling on weekends for added security.