Sarah was so helpful in making sure we thought of everything and couldn't been nicer with me and my…read moresiblings. Highly suggest them

Absolutely the worst I have ever seen. Things said to family by funeral director at the funeral. "…read moreWhen is this going to be over so we can shove him in and close the door." ( referring to the deceased) Refused to move hearse from under the sheltered drive up canopy during the wake despite torrential rain /downpour. So much rudeness... so much ineptness... I am so appalled and devastated by the treatment we received. Do not EVER use COUNTRYSIDE!!

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 Aunt died and is interned here. I am taking her death very hard and am a Practicing Catholic…read more None of the Churches I contacted have a Bereavement group! However upon researching I found out Queen of Heaven does. It's an hour from where I work which I would just afford in gas. I have to pay $30 for the book I was told. If I don't buy the Book then I can't get the help I need. There are only two months left. The woman Theresa told me get the book and do it by yourself. She didn't even suggest another meeting when the classes with start. Very unhelpful and unchristian! Is this why people are leaving the Church?

My grandfather, grandmother, and several other relatives are buried at the Bluff City Cemetery in…read moreElgin. This is a place where I go several times a year to visit and pay respects to my family. This cemetery is always well maintained, and anytime we ask them to do something that are very responsive. They also decorate the gravesites with flags of veterans for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I highly recommend Bluff City Cemetery.

I have honestly never thought to review a cemetery but here we are…read more This is where my dad was recently buried and so far it's been an amazing resting place. It fits what he would have liked, it's calm and peaceful. There's a tree nearby, many trees through out, but it's still close enough to the road where there's some hustle and bustle. When he was buried, the people who helped were kind and compassionate. There's many historical and beautiful gravestones and mausoleums too. It's just a nice calm final resting spot.

My family was treated with great compassion, patience, and professionalism by all of the people we…read moremade contact with at Ahlgrim. Jim Ahlgrim was always available to help us with questions, paperwork, and to navigate us through the entire experience. Jim also worked diligently with the cemetery and the U.S. Air Force to successfully coordinate the cemetery services and burial arrangements, which had posed challenges due to high demand for military resources during that period.

As this was my first run at planning this event, I called and talked to Kathy, and she helped guide…read moreme through the process. As the family asked me for details, someone there was always ready to help. Our services were wonderful and we could not have hoped for a better experience. I would certainly recommend considering them.

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.

The first time I visited this cemetery was several years ago, and for a very specific purpose: To…read moreattend a concert in the columbarium near Halloween. That was when I first learned what a columbarium is (a place for cremains to be placed). Most often these are outdoor resting places, but this indoor one has a large chapel-like area inside. There are benches near the wall niches for one to visit their loved ones. Bohemian National Cemetery is a major graveyard in the city. Its origins lie in discrimination. After the Great Fire, a woman who was a member of Chicago's Bohemian community was refused burial at one of the Catholic cemeteries. Bohemian in the 19th century did not have the same meaning it has in 2022; the area once considered Bohemia is now Czechia. Thousands of members of this immigrant community worked to establish the cemetery, which saw its first burial in 1877. Bohemian National Cemetery is not affiliated with a specific religion. Upon arrival at this cemetery, you'll see one of its most unique features: The funeral bell that still hangs within the stone cemetery gate. Every other funeral bell in a Chicago cemetery has been removed and/or replaced. I'm not sure, however, if it still tolls when a funeral procession passes through the cemetery. There are several sculptures throughout the cemetery by the artist Albin Polasek. Amongst them is The Pilgrim, just in front of one of the family tombs, and Mother, which is directly in front of the columbarium. I was surprised to find the Beyond the Vines is really a wild monument. Made to replicate the outfield wall at Wrigley Field, major Cubs fans can be interred in this outdoor columbarium. Ivy covers the wall, and there are stadium seats on the west side of the monument for people when visiting. Lastly, this cemetery is home to a memorial for the victims of the Eastland disaster. In 1915, the Eastland was docked and ready to set off for the annual picnic of a local electric company. The ship never left the dock; rather, it capsized where it was docked near Clark Street. 844 people lost their life--and amongst those, 22 full families perished. On the 100th anniversary of this tragedy a memorial was unveiled to those who died that day. Bohemian cemetery is certainly historical and has some very interesting monuments and sculptures, and is a must-visit for any taphophile. However, it's a bit unkempt in some areas, and rumor has it they don't allow tours through here any longer because someone on a prior tour stepped into a dip and hurt themselves. So if you do visit, be careful.

The office receptionist is awful. I called to obtain information on my grandmother. I was told to…read morecall back in 15 minutes because she was using another program on her computer and couldn't look it up. I called back 20 minutes later and she hung up the call, then called again to be put on hold for 10 minutes...no joke. I called back and she asked for my information and said she'd look it up and call back. I ended up going to the cemetery about 45 minutes later and she was on a personal phone call talking loudly until she realized someone was in the office. Lack of professionalism and sensitivity to the whole situation.

Losing a loved one is never easy whether you know it's coming or not. You know you will forever…read moremiss them, but what I didn't think about was how much I would miss Monica and her entire team. These individuals became so near and dear to our hearts because they were there to assist my family during the darkest part of our lives. Monica is someone I will never forget. She gets it. She gets that your mind is all over the place and you might remember a detail super late at night or the wee hours of the morning. She never made me feel bad for reaching out when I needed to. It's beyond refreshing to do business with someone that genuinely cares about what they do, no matter what business that is. Thank you Monica, Kelly, and everyone else behind the scenes. YOU will never be forgotten.

Our family lost both of our parents this spring with my dad passing first, Albert and David were…read morekind and compassionate to my mother and our family. They guided us every step of the way. They treated us like their family. I am so glad they are a part of our community

The only person that was compassionate during my difficult time was Lindsay. She was absolutely…read moreamazing and very compassionate. The owner Carol came across as she couldn't be bothered, phone calls or emails were not returned. The pastor that they used was very angry and saying things that did not sit right with a lot of people. She made his service unbearable. The overall extended my grief so much worse.

It feels kind of weird rating a funeral home, but here goes…read more.. When my father passed away unexpectedly, everything happened so quickly and my mother was a little overwhelmed. We went to DeFiore Jorgensen and worked with Carol DeFiore. She was awesome. She walked us through everything and could not have been nicer to work with.