--- Our family…read morerecently had the profound need for the services of Alvarez Funeral Home after the loss of our loved one. To simply say they "handled the arrangements" would be a great injustice to the exceptional care and compassion we received. From the very first moment, Ms. Alvarez distinguished herself and her home from any other we have dealt with in the past. Where others felt transactional, she was deeply personal. She did not just see us as clients, but as a grieving family in need of guidance and support. Her patience, empathy, and genuine kindness were a steady comfort during the most difficult days of our lives. Ms. Alvarez took the time to listen--truly listen--to our stories, our wishes, and our worries. She helped us navigate every decision with grace, offering gentle suggestions while always honoring our desires. She removed the overwhelming burden of logistics and allowed us the space to simply be together and grieve. The personal touches and attention to detail made all the difference, creating a service that was a beautiful and authentic reflection of our loved one's life. What sets Alvarez Funeral Home apart is this heartfelt, human-centered approach. Ms. Alvarez and her entire staff provide more than a service; they provide a sanctuary of understanding and respect. They walked beside us, never ahead of us. To anyone facing the unimaginable, we cannot recommend Alvarez Funeral Home highly enough. Thank you, Ms. Alvarez, and to your wonderful staff, for your invaluable help and for treating our family with such dignity during our most difficult time. Your compassion made all the difference.

Ms. Alvarez has exceptional care from compassion to details, our first service in 1996 had our…read morefamilies respect. Our repeat services provided to our extended family gave us comfort. Thank you to her and her staff.

Al and his team are absolutely wonderful. Caring, compassionate, helpful are just a few words to…read moredescribe the wonderful staff here. After witnessing an absolutely horrible funeral home before this, we found Colonial Wojciechowski. Their friendly demeanor and compassion were the first things we noticed. The space is beautiful, a lot lighter and open than most Chicago funeral homes. The dining area is modern and beautiful. The staff on the day of our visitation were incredibly helpful including helping with all the food prep in the dining area. All our guests said how welcoming the staff was when they entered as well. Al also helped us separating ashes for us and family after the service. Thank you so much for all you did for our family.

I had such a great experience working with Colonial. The staff was amazing and really took the time…read moreto work out all of the details for me. Let me preface this with the fact that my Great Uncle had made pre-arrangements with another funeral home... which closed a few years back (he was 94 at the time and living in a nursing home). As his Power of Attorney, I was put in the position to have to redo everything. Colonial was fantastic with helping me through all of the details. They were able to review what the previous funeral home had arranged and were able to match everything working within the costs that were preset. When I left after that initial meeting, I felt that everything was in good hands. Fast forward, a few years later when I received the call that my Great Uncle had passed, Colonial really stepped up. Al and his staff are extremely professional and I can't thank them enough for all they did.

Would give negative stars if I could. This place is a joke…read more I ordered a boulder and plaque from Olga Barrett and paid her $155. Promptly after paying her, she said their equipment broke and she'd have to cancel my order. I offered to wait until the equipment was functioning properly again but she declined. Then comes the mind-blowing part - she would not refund the $155. She was the one that involuntarily cancelled my order but refused to refund my payment. Olga is one of the most horrific people I've crossed paths with. I'm sure that equipment never worked in the first place and she was just monetizing my late father through deception. Scum of the earth.

During the hardest of times, it was really a bright spot to come across Monumental Art Works…read more Making a choice for a grave marker/headstone can be one of the most nerve racking as this will be the one physical and optical reminder of your loved one every time you visit the cemetery. Olga and her team were magnificent throughout the entire process. They're professional, understanding and their customer service/communication & follow up were the best. We went with a headstone that has an etching of my Mom on it and my Dad, as well as the rest of the family, couldn't be happier. It looks beautiful and the pricing was THE best. Thank you everyone at Monumental - my Mom would proud of your work.

My Mom, Emily passed away on Jan 30,2023. Although times like this can be so stressful, picking the…read moreproper funeral director and home is essential. My family has dealt with the Wojciechowski's since they were on Webster Street in the old neighborhood. Their support, compassion, a their take charge attitude, leaves little to do but comfort your loved ones. Brad Rushton our Funeral Director and planner left no stone unturned. He had it all covered, up to and including having Jody Wojciechowski, spend the day with us making everything incredibly smooth. Also, their preparation in making my mom look like a Queen lying in State, was remarkable! I want to take this opportunity to personally thank the entire team at Colonial for all their support and love that they extended to my family.

Four months I had to plan a wake and funeral for my father who passed away within a week of…read moreplanning everything. Mark and his staff were all wonderful and made this devastating occasion as simple as possible for us. Mark helped with everything that is needed from beginning to end and my father a the most beautiful wake we were told by so many bn people that attended. The facility was updated and clean with great staff. I highly recommend them.

I am very pleased with the monument I ordered from the Peter Troost Monument location in Justice…read more Jolanta Plewa was wonderful to work with. I went to buy a monument for my brother's grave in a somber mood ready to purchase anything to get the uncomfortable task checked off the list of things I had to plan for his burial. Jolanta informed me that she could help me design a custom monument at no extra charge. She kindly and patiently walked me through the design process and helped me create a monument that really honored my brother in a unique and personal way. The process was very comforting in a way I never imagined it could be. I just viewed the monument after it was installed at the gravesite last week. It is beautiful and leaves me with a sense of peace. Thank you Jolanta

Jolanta Plewa at the Justice, IL location is AMAZING. My mom passed away in February. I began…read morelooking for a headstone in April. This company's prices are reasonable. There are many designs to choose from, and Jolanta was helpful from start to finish. I went with a custom design. It typically takes 6 months, but with Covid, we experienced delays. Jolanta was very informative throughout the process. She helped me design the headstone as well. Then my mom's husband passed away after we designed it. I asked if he could be added and she helped me redesign it. Life happens, and she accommodated all requests. The final product turned out beautiful. I hope I don't have to see her anytime soon, but I highly recommend Jolanta at Peter Troost during such a difficult time. You will not be disappointed. My mother stands out just as we planned. Thank you, Jolanta!

Very caring place to have a loved one placed! They are kind, compassionate and go the extra mile…read moreto see that everyone is comfortable during such a sad time. I would highly recommend!

Highly recommend this funeral home for your loved one's services. Steve and his team are…read moreprofessional and very efficient. They were able to accommodate most, if not all, of my family's requests. They have several chapels to choose from but all were clean and more modern than other funeral homes I've been to. Thank you Cumberland Chapels for being able to send my father off in a dignified and compassionate way.

After I posted the same review on google maps Mr Pietryka found a way to remove his negative…read morereviews from there and now he shows up as a 5-star business. This is not true. Yelp doesn't allow businesses to remove the reviews so you will find here more accurate reviews. I chose this funeral home to transport casket to Poland. Through the whole complex process there were many mistakes, poor communication and poor execution. Below I provided some of the examples of Pietryka Funeral Home professional negligence: - The death certificate had to be corrected TWICE because Pietryka funeral home submitted wrong information - as basic as the birthdate of a deceased person, marital status and a county for the address. It's really perplexing how a funeral home couldn't handle correctly their basic responsibility. - After reviewing an initial quote I realized that Mr Pietryka charged me for services not performed and I had to request a credit. I received the credit but it is appalling to take advantage of people in such a painful life circumstances. - Mr Pietryka picks up every phone call, but I have never received a phone call back nor I was informed at any point about the progress of formalities. The phone calls with Mr. Pietryka were quick and dismissive. For example, I was told that death certificate will be completed Monday afternoon, but it was completed on Friday and they didn't inform me about it. They started sending it out to other parties with wrong information (including Polish authorities). I found out about it on Tuesday, and the first mistake was corrected on Wednesday causing a delay in processing all of the formalities that needed to be resubmitted. - Pietryka funeral home assured me that the casket can be open in Poland. But later, while I was already in Poland, I found out from their transportation partner that the Polish law doesn't allow that. How come the funeral home doesn't know the law (in business they claim to be for 20+ years) is beyond me. That was the first thing that their transportation partner told me when I was with them on the phone. - Mr Pietryka gave me wrong information about the final delivery date in Poland (he didn't know how the logistics of their transportation partner work). - Pietryka funeral home did not once call me or took responsibility for handling communication with their transportation partner. I had to call them separately for information and clarifications. There were other conflicting information coming from their transportation partner vs what Mr. Pietryka initially told me (too morbid to describe here). - I had to request an invoice twice after they charged me and I got one a week later (invoice was needed for some formalities). Pietryka's professional negligence and failure to perform basic tasks is staggering. I worried about many things that I shouldn't be worried during this difficult time. I paid a lot of money for an "expert" to handle formalities but as it turned out they were failing at basic tasks, lacking basic knowledge, compassion, sensitivity and decency in this most challenging moment of my life. There is no do-overs in the last journey of a loved one. And once they get you they know you can't change it. I wish I had chosen a different funeral home to help me say final goodbye to my mother. I didn't feel that my mom's final journey was handled in a respectful and honorable manner causing even more pain in this already painful life circumstances. I received a few recommendations for Wojchechowski funeral home, unfortunately, it was after I already started business with Pietryka. Maybe it will be helpful for those who are reading this comment and don't know other alternatives.

I am so disgusted and disappointed in the workers who run this funeral home. We had a wake today…read morefor my Uncle who passed away a few days ago. Not only was there NO WORKER in sight most of the time, but we had to ask them numerous times to actually do what they were supposed to do during the wake. But the main thing that made me so mad was the fact that they allowed A RANDOM PERSON TO TOUR OUR WAKE CEREMONY! I understand showing the empty rooms but DO NOT ALLOW SOMEONE TO WALK IN AND TOUR AN ACTIVE WAKE CEREMONY. And yes, I heard the worker tell the woman who was touring, "yeah absolutely take a look inside". HOW DARE YOU!! And when we addressed the issue, the acted as if it wasn't a big deal. They only care about business, they have NO compassion and NO heart. They disrespected my Uncle and I truly suggest going anywhere but here. All they care about is money.

We have went with Lawrence Funeral Home for both of our parents. Our dad passed away suddenly 13…read moreyears ago at the hospital in the ICU, and not having any prior experience with funeral planning, they took our call right away and we were able to see them that day. They took care of all the planning and details, they walked us through each step. Angela Chau worked with us then and was very responsive and helped us through such a devastating time. Flash forward to this year. Our mother was on hospice, so we knew it was coming, though we never wanted the day to come. The hospice nurse called Lawrence Funeral Home after she passed, and the staff was nothing short of phenomenal. Funeral directors Billy and Karen took great care with our mother, and compassionately prepared her as they transported her from our home one last time. They walked us through everything to expect. She passed away on a Saturday, and worked with us, setting up an appointment to meet with my siblings and I the following Monday in the morning. We met with Michael, who was a Godsend. He took time to explain what was needed, including planning for how life might look after the services (how to close her accounts, etc). He did not once come off as a salesman, and in fact went the extra mile to work with us within our budget. They remembered working with our family all those years ago. Michael answered every text message and call we had in between our meeting and wake, which was yesterday. He never made it seem like we were a bother to him. Nicole received the items we wanted to drop off before the wake to help prepare mom's final send off, and she shared she was a hairdresser herself, so she would personally see to making sure mom's hair would be what she wanted. The Lawrence Funeral Home team of directors made our mom look so beautiful, and she truly seemed to be at peace. The decorations were breathtaking and lovely. Billy and Michael were in charge of the wake, and they were so respectful, kind, and thoughtful. They were attentive to our needs. Tomorrow is the funeral, and we are lucky that Karen and Nicole will be there. The staff have truly made us feel like family already in such a short time. We cannot thank you enough for all you have done to make this difficult time as comfortable as possible when it came to planning. They even coordinated with our mother's church parish to inform us how the payment works for the church, and arrange final prayers with a visit from the priest at the wake. Thank you so much Karen, Billy, Michael, and Nicole! Our family and I are forever grateful. It's such a blessing to have people like you in this field to be our guide as we grieve and honor our mom. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Hi just wanted to say how the staff at Lawrence Funeral was so nice and helpful with everything…read morethey've done for the preparation for my wifey/partner Dawn Becker. Thank you so much the staff is professional and would recommend Lawrence Funeral to family and friends.