Very positive experience with Tom Eccles and the entire Memory Gardens staff. My mother passed in March of this year, and we elected to have her cremains buried next to my father, who was buried there back in 1972. As my mother's only surviving son, I haven't lived in suburban Chicago for over 30 years, but do recall my father being buried there many years ago. With little to go on, a call to Memory Gardens put me in touch with Tom Eccles, who could not have been more helpful. Tom was able to look-up my father's records and found the plot where he was buried, and advised my mother had purchased a plot next to his when he died. I made all the arrangements long distance with Tom, got all the paperwork signed and delivered via eMail. He was very helpful in the design of her headstone and had it ready at the grave site for the burial of her cremains last week. Given the passage of time, we had no contacts with the church we used to belong to, and Tom put me in touch with a local minister who delivered a nice, thoughtful graveside service for my mother, whom he had never met, and chose some very thoughtful words for his service based on her obituary. Pouring rain last Friday when we did the service, and Tom had arranged a tent graveside for my wife and I to be under for the service by Pastor Tom. Could not have been more pleased with the services of Tom Eccles and the Memory Gardens staff, all completed via eMail and a few telephone calls between us, over the course of 5 months, for the arrangements. And despite what others have written, we found the condition of the grounds at Memory Gardens very good. grass recently mowed and trees/shrubs nicely trimmed, despite the rainy conditions on the day of her burial. Highly recommend Memory Gardens as the final resting place for your loved ones, and in particular, Tom Eccles as our counselor throughout the process. read more

So it's been a long time since I've been here and I went in and I couldn't find it and the man said if you can't find it call us they went back in and they sent this man by the name of Brian that came over and he was very, very helpful and kind and not only that he was nice enough to clean up around the grave site so I just wanted to say thank you for having such a stellar Employee#. Thanks again. Brian was very very helpful and kind. read more

Memory Gardens Cemetery - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

We had a bit of a rocky start but we couldn't be happier with the outcome. It was a very emotional and trying time but Tom Eccles was outstanding to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. He kept in touch with us and answered all our questions. We had other options but glad we chose Memory Gardens for our loved one. After the service we looked around, It's a beautiful place to visit. We highly recommend Memory Gardens but even more thrilled of how they take care of our Veterans and their families. They sure know how to honor our American hero's. Janice Arthur, Dawn & Art Robinson read more

My mother passed away on November 5th, 2017. Our family counselor was Jim Connelly. My mother was buried in Memory gardens in their Arlington Heights location. We paid for the bronze marker on 11/6/2017 and we assured the marked would be placed on her grave as soon as weather permitted. * In January 2018, still no marker. * In April again told, too wet to install. * On 7-26-2018 still no marker and were told in the morning, by (Kelly) at memory gardens that the marker would be installed later that day. At 1:58PM I received a voice message from Kelly stating it was installed. * On 8-3-2018 still no marker, and told it's now in Arkansas, and never released. On all visits to my mother's grave we were told the marker was in their possession, and now another story. First weather and now they don't have it? All paperwork was completed on 11-6-2017, and paid in advance. Would have given a zero star if I could. read more

Wow. I'm a little surprised by all the bad reviews. I came here for a funeral service for one of my family members and thought the staff here did a really great job with making everything as smooth and stress free for my family. The premises seemed very well taken care of to me. The inside was clean and comfortable. The grounds looked like they were manicured well. When it came time of for us to move the funeral services outside for the burial, the staff had set up a tent and chairs for us. They also set up a table so we could place our flowers. They were very respectful and friendly. I was impressed by their professionalism from the start of the service to the end of it. read more

Memory Gardens is a beautiful cemetery. While I don't "like" coming here, it's usually an enjoyable experience because it is so clean, cared for, and peaceful. We have multiple family members buried here, all in the same area, and I know the roads by heart. When my grandfather passed away three years ago, I was helping my mother, aunt, and grandmother with the arrangements. While working with the staff member to make the decisions, it was difficult of course to be going through a loss and have to make all of those quick decisions, but they were helpful and gave us the information needed to make the right decision for our family. The rooms to hold the pre-burial ceremonies are relatively small, holding about 50-75 people (my estimate), but have beautiful stained glass that really give some beautiful color to the room. My only "complaints" are: * The main building is kind of stark and "cold" feeling, but the grounds are so different and so beautiful it makes up for it. * When my grandfather had his pre-burial ceremony, they were trying to play "Taps" as he is a veteran, and the music was unavailable although I believe we were told it would be available. We were awkwardly waiting while the two gentlemen in charge tried to find it, but they did not play it. * When I went with my father to find another family member's grave, it was incorrectly marked in their system so we had to find the right grave marker and give it back to the woman at the desk. It was frustrating as a family member to have to be the one to tell the cemetery where our family member was buried. It has since been fixed, but no matter. I know just where to go to visit. read more

This place is a joke they have no "dignity" the owners of Memory Gardens chose the wrong name, it should be Memory Garbage. This cemetery does not care about your deceased loved one, you or your family. They care about money and nothing else. Too bad yelp doesn't give negative stars. Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this place. read more

Sadly, over the last almost twenty years since I buried my mother here, I have watched this cemetery drastically decline. The grounds which were once beautiful are now poorly taken care of and look run down. The customer service which was once empathic and compassionate is now appalling and apathetic. Then on this prior Saturday evening, the cemetery hit an ultimate low when the cemetery decided to host a movie night on the cemetery grounds. And not just any movie...Raiders of the Lost Ark! Even though several of the plot owners, including myself, were disgusted by this action....the cemetery claimed this would be "a fun filled evening under the stars" for the community. Appalling! Needless to say, my family is currently looking for plots elsewhere as well as inquiring as to how to move my mother out of there! Cemeteries are sacred grounds for people who are mourning their loved ones...not as Wendy from the cemetery told me "a park where the community can come to and enjoy themselves"! Seriously! Disgraceful! read more

Many of you may have seen me on TV protesting the movie night Memory Gardens hosted last summer. My only child is buried there and I thought it was a disgrace to his memory to host a "fun night under the stars" where so many of us have loved ones buried...considering Arlington Heights hosts movie nights through their park district. That said, Dignity- Memory Gardens in Arlington Heights has since said they would not host that type of event ever again. With some staff changes and real compassion from the rest of the staff, I am beginning to change my opinion of my son's final resting place. The grounds are starting to look much better...dead trees and shrubs are gone, potholes are getting filled. Much better than last year and this past spring. More personal and important to me...My son's grave has been lovingly attended by the ground crew since last summer as well. Want to say a special shout out to two of the groundsmen, Gil and Mark, for all of the work they have done to keep my son's final resting place looking amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to me that you both tend to him as I would, his mother. read more

I am embarrassed by the condition of this cemetery. I have generations of family there and the condition of the grounds are horrible. I understand we have had rain but this is more than uncut grass. Especially in the eternal light section and the sad attempt at landscaping. It wasn't always like this. It has gone downhill steadily for the past 5 years. read more

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My sister in law just passed in June 2021. Since my parents are in Memory Gardens, we wanted to have her there with my parents. We worked with Tom who was very caring with the entire family. Although it was a very trying time, Tom was there to guide us through the process and everything went well and as expected. He was available when we had any questions. He is a very thoughtful fine caring man to work with during this trying time. We could not have had a better experience working with him. read more

How very disrespectful to the deceased to hold a "movie night" on sacred grounds. Do you plan on checking cars as they go in for alcohol? Very foolish idea. Zero stars for ethics. read more

Tom and carmen were very polite and helpful with my fathers veteran honors grave marker the small but very respectful funeral service and burial were done with dignity and respect for my fathers final resting place and a very memorable and heartfelt goodbye from his family.Job well done. read more

I have never wished for rain, but I am praying for rain on Saturday so that #MemoryGardens will not host a movie night in the cemetery where my son is buried...It is beyond disrespectful to host a "fun" event where people's family members are supposed have eternal rest. I am beyond disgusted... I tagged them in my post last night and now the FB page has zero posts...So they either took down all posts or blocked me. I pleaded with them not to go through with this movie night and they said no. read more

My family Came here on Veterans Day to commentate my cousin Christopher, afghan marine vet, father,son, brother, cousin who passed away this summer way to soon. We had previous approval for a tent, transportable fire pit and consumables including beer. One of the ladies in the office came out and said she will turn a blind eye but to make sure the kids weren't elsewhere. Ok no prob we said and we double checked the kids. 10 minutes later the cops came. She called the COPS ( who were totally understanding and approved of our celebration) on us on VETERANS DAY for our celebrating the life of our recently deceased 28 year old family member. No one was inebriated. No one was acting out of control. 20-30 of us were there with 2 12 packs of beer, toasting to our loved one. HOW DARE SHE. read more

My mother passed in November of 2013. My father and her had previously purchased a crypt that would accommodate my mother's casket and the urn containing the ashes from my father. All went according to plans until it was time to close the crypt. The maintenance staff used a cement glue to hold a piece of granite over the cement encloser to the crypt. Sometime within the next month since this was done, the granite came lose and fell away from the entrance to the crypt and broke. Memory Gardens was aware this happened but did not notify our family. It has now been 10 months and all efforts on our part to correct this situation have been met with unfulfilled promises by the cemetery. It has been one excuse after another why they could not replace the granite front. After months of waiting, they finally told us that the firm that provides the granite could not match the granite that is used for all the other crypts in the building. We suggested since no one was using the crypt next to the one that we owned, that they could move it over and cover the outside of our crypt. They agreed to do that except as with all their other promises, this one has been ignored as well. There is no doubt in our mind that once they have your money, they have little incentive to spend any more money to rectify an issue even if the issue is a direct results of sloppy maintenance by their own people. No amount of phone, email, or personal visits have resulted in anything in the way of a solution. When you request an audience with the manager of Memory Gardens, their response is always he/she is not in. If your interested in doing business with Memory Gardens and Mausoleums in Arlington Heights, Il., buyer be ware. Their customer service is no service at all. read more

I am very disappointed with memory gardens cemetary. My gramdparents are buried here and my baby sistet. I thought iit was a beautiful cemetary and when my mothet lefft thiis world I had her buried here. It took a halff a year to make her stone. One day I went to visit my mothers grave and the stone was moved form a the grave, it was backwards. I was told they had been working their. Why was it not replaced right away? Also no grass was planted in that spot and the ground was uneventful and the stone was scratched. It was four years ago that my mother passed away. I had something on the grave that was damaged also. The people working here are careless . I feel very sad about this. read more

I recently buried my father at Memory Gardens and my mother was buried there last year. I wanted to thank Tom Eccles for helping me with the arrangements which went very smoothly and was a welcome support which I needed during a very difficult time. The arrangements were very well done and the staff was very respectful. I greatly appreciate all of the help I received in allowing me to lay my parents to rest. Would definitely recommend Tom and Memory Gardens to anyone with a need for these services. read more

TJ Condon was a huge help. He took the time to dig through the snow to help me find my loved one.

I have 6 family members buried at the cemetery including my 4 year old son. No problems until I heard about movie night at the cemetery. Totally disrespectful to the people who have loved ones buried there. THIS IS NOT O.K. read more

How dare you allow movie nights in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Arlington Heights, IL. I am EXTREMELY OFFENDED this was allowed. I have many family members resting their and they have been thoroughly disrespected! You have made a mockery of death and eternal rest for those who have gone before us! read more

FAMILIES... BEWARE!! 31 years ago, my parents purchased crypts at Memory Gardens, a privately owned cemetery. Since the time of their purchase, Memory Gardens has been purchased by Service Corporation International, a "Proud Dignity Provider." My father was entombed in one of those crypts for over 25 years. Through the years, my family and I noticed a considerable deterioration of the beautiful grounds that once were. A countless number of gorgeous towering trees that once shaded the landscape are now dead and mournful. Why were they not removed?Many of the evergreens scattered throughout the cemetery, both large and small, were also in terrible shape, if not dead. The area around my father's crypt , at the west end of the cemetery, was despicable. Where there was once grass, there was now mud...the privacy evergreens that line the back portions of the mausoleums, along Waterman Street, were in sorrowful shape. The sidewalk in front of the crypts was broken and littered. Why was this neglect allowed to occur? Where was the oversight? We learned that there was no intention on the part of the company to address these issues. The company was only focused on maintenance of the viewable portions of the cemetery that are seen by potential buyers of graves and markers. In other words, once they have your check, nothing matters any more. After several years of writing letters and "trying" to speak to someone in authority, my family and I decided to remove my father's remains from Memory Gardens and to re-inter him in a more suitable cemetery...one that cares more about the families to whom they are responsible.. That removal and re-interment occurred this past Thursday morning. This decision was painful, but necessary. Cemeteries are supposed to be a place of quiet beauty...a place where families can feel comfortable and at peace...a place of reflection. When the grounds of a cemetery are left to deteriorate, where is the "dignity???" FAMILIES... BEWARE!!! read more

I am an attorney who represents a client who just lost his mother. My client is a disabled veteran and has very limited assets. The mother has significant assets but it will take us a week or two to get the paperwork completed to get our hands on these assets. I spoke with the funeral home today explained the situation and they agreed to give my client a few weeks to make payment. I also called Memory Gardens and pled my case but they would not budge. They want the money now or they will not bury the deceased. The mother just wants to be buried next to her husband who passed many years ago. I'm not sure if we can fulfill that wish or not. I get it that this is a business and they have to make money but there has to be some flexibility and dignity. In my opinion you should avoid doing business with this company at all costs. read more

Avoid Dignity Memorial cemeteries at all costs. Thinking I was doing the right thing, I purchased my dad a pre-need burial plot at a Dignity Memorial Cemetery - Memorial Gardens in Arlington Heights. Two weeks later when my dad found out his cancer spread to his brain, he changed his mind on where he wanted to be buried. My family pleaded with the cemetery to refund us our money so we could buy a plot at the other cemetery so he could be buried with his parents and his brother. We explained the situation to the cemetery and told them this was a dying man's last wish, but still they refused to budge and give us a refund. Now my dad has to be buried at a cemetery where he doesn't want to be and can't be near his family. Spread the word. Dignity Memorial is a money hungry corporation with no compassion. read more

My father passed away on March 23, 2014. To date, my father's grave remains the dirt that was thrown there the day he was buried. It has never been smoothed out, nor has grass been planted. We have made several requests, in person, to the office staff, and nothing has changed. When we voiced our concerns to the office staff, telling them that other, later graves have been tended to, and that our Dad's grave is one of the worst in the cemetery, the office staff actually said, "Oh, I'm sure it's not the worst grave. We can show you worse graves." We asked them to get in the car and take us to the other graves that were "worse", but then they offered to make out a work order instead. That was weeks ago, and nothing has changed. Today, Father's Day, my mother and I went to the cemetery with our shovel, hoe and rake, and chopped at the large clumps of dirt and smoothed out the ground to the best of our ability. Do we also need to get grass/sod? Other visitors to the cemetery told us it took 1-1/2 years for them to tend to their loved one's grave. No surviving family member should have to go to the cemetery and bring the ground laying over their deceased loved one back to a reasonable state. We are SO disappointed in the customer service we have received from Memory Gardens. Unfortunately, we have no options at this point, and can only hope that by contacting them at the corporate level, that perhaps my Dad's "work order" can be expedited to give our family the peace we need to move on. read more