Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Emergency
services
Trusted Funeral Services in Chicago Since 1920
Kolbus-John V. May Funeral Home has served the Chicago community for over a century, offering compassionate funeral and cremation services. Established in 1920, our team of experienced funeral directors brings over 50 years of combined expertise to support families from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. We prioritize personalized care, guiding families through the process of honoring their loved ones with dignity and respect. Our facilities on the Northwest Side of Chicago, near O'Hare Airport, provide a welcoming space for memorial services and pre-planning consultations. We emphasize the importance of funeral services in acknowledging loss, fostering community support, and providing continuity for grieving families.With additional locations in Elmwood Park, Jefferson Park, and Park Ridge, we extend our commitment to serving the broader Chicagoland area. Our staff is available 24/7 to address urgent needs, ensuring families receive timely assistance during difficult moments. Through our online preplanning tools and in-person consultations, we empower individuals to make informed decisions about their future arrangements. We maintain partnerships with affiliated funeral homes to deliver consistent, high-quality service across multiple locations. Our dedication to compassionate care remains unwavering, reflecting our deep understanding of the emotional and logistical challenges families face during times of loss.
Services
Funeral Services
Cremation Services
Pre-Planning Consultations
Veteran Honors
Grief Support Resources
Memorial Arrangements
Online Preplanning
Urgent Arrangements
Cultural Services
Community Outreach
Details
- Year established: 1920
Highlights and features
- We have served Chicago families for over 100 years with compassionate care.
- Our funeral directors bring combined expertise of 50+ years in the profession.
- We offer personalized services respecting diverse cultural and religious traditions.
- We provide 24/7 emergency assistance for urgent funeral arrangements.
- We maintain affiliated locations across Chicagoland for comprehensive service coverage.
Services
Funeral Services
We provide comprehensive funeral services tailored to individual family needs, including traditional ceremonies, visitations, and personalized memorial arrangements. Our experienced directors guide families through every step, ensuring culturally appropriate services that honor the deceased while supporting grieving loved ones. Services include coordination of clergy involvement, music selection, and obituary preparation.
Cremation Services
Our cremation services offer dignified alternatives to traditional burial, with options for private ceremonies before or after cremation. We provide transparent pricing for basic cremation packages while maintaining flexibility for customized tributes. Our staff explains all available options, including urn selection, memorial service planning, and scattering arrangements, ensuring families make informed decisions aligned with their preferences.
Pre-Planning Consultations
We offer confidential pre-planning consultations to help individuals document their final wishes, reducing emotional and financial burdens on surviving family members. Our directors explain all service options, costs, and legal requirements while creating personalized plans that reflect clients' cultural, religious, and personal preferences through our online preplanning tools and in-person meetings.
Veteran Honors
We specialize in arranging military funeral honors for eligible veterans, including coordination of flag presentation, rifle salutes, and TAPS performances. Our staff assists families in obtaining VA benefits, preparing necessary documentation, and ensuring compliance with Department of Veterans Affairs requirements while delivering respectful ceremonies that recognize service members' sacrifices.
Grief Support Resources
We provide access to grief counseling resources and support groups through our Grief Library and affiliated community programs. Our staff offers guidance on coping strategies, connects families with professional counselors, and maintains educational materials about the grieving process, ensuring ongoing support beyond the immediate funeral period to help individuals navigate their emotional journey.
People
Eileen Baldeshwiler
Funeral Director
Eileen Baldeshwiler brings decades of experience in compassionate funeral service, specializing in personalized memorial arrangements and family support during difficult times.
Eugene Cha
Funeral Director
Eugene Cha offers culturally sensitive funeral planning expertise, serving diverse Chicago communities with professionalism and understanding of various religious traditions.
Karen Scimeca Christensen
Funeral Director
Karen Scimeca Christensen specializes in veteran honors and military funeral arrangements, ensuring dignified recognition of service members' sacrifices through detailed ceremonial planning.
Miles Fogle
Funeral Director
Miles Fogle provides compassionate guidance in pre-planning consultations, helping families document final wishes while reducing future emotional and financial burdens.
Michael Rominski
Funeral Director
Michael Rominski coordinates community outreach programs, connecting grieving families with ongoing bereavement support resources and grief counseling services.
Questions
What funeral service options do you offer?
We provide traditional funeral services, cremation options, and customized memorial arrangements respecting all cultural and religious traditions.
Can I plan a funeral in advance?
Yes, we offer pre-planning consultations and online preplanning tools to document your final wishes and reduce future family burdens.
Do you handle veteran funeral honors?
Yes, we arrange full military honors including flag presentation, rifle salutes, and coordination with VA benefits programs.
Are grief support resources available?
We provide access to our Grief Library, support groups, and professional counseling referrals for ongoing bereavement assistance.
What areas do you serve?
We primarily serve Chicago's Northwest Side and surrounding communities including Elmwood Park, Jefferson Park, and Park Ridge.
Is 24/7 emergency service available?
Yes, our funeral directors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for urgent arrangement needs.
Reviews (6)
Amy Kuhlmann
Dec 18, 2020
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On behalf of my entire family, I would like to thank Kolbus May Funeral Homes, for providing us with the most outstanding funeral director, Spencer Fogle. Spencer went above and beyond for my grandfather's funeral and truly stunned the family with his sincerity, execution of our requests, and competency. The execution of the last two days went flawlessly, and Spencer even executed special requests (requests we did not think could happen) of having the marine corps send offs and my grandfather's choir songs sang at the wake. It was truly an honor to work with him, and given the circumstances arising
Paul Posch
May 04, 2020
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Michael Rominski handled the funeral and the arrangements beautifully, he took the time to explain all options, where money could be saved and handled each and every detail flawlessly. We have had Three funerals there and this would continue to be my choice. He is an asset to your firm and showed the integrity I had been used to when I was dealing with Jim May. It felt like I was back home. Thank you again.
Carol Fagiano
Nov 06, 2019
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I want to thank the staff at Kolbus-May funeral home for their professionalism throughout the entire visitation and funeral process for my mom. They were so kind, compassionate and comforting. They made us feel like family. I highly recommend them.
Sharon I.
Feb 19, 2019
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From the time my hospice nurse called, to the day at the cemetery, we had five star service. My late father picked Kolbus because his mother was taken care of there. So that was fifty years ago. Extremely respectful to the entire family. We had an accident . One of the family fell on the side walk. Mike and staff helped so much. The smiles are genuine,the condolences genuine. If your pre planning USE. If you need a place fast USE. Thank you Kolbus and Mike and staff
Richard Travis
Jun 23, 2015
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I do genealogy and can't believe that this funeral home does not keep information past 10 years. If you are someone who researches family history or want you grandkids to be able to research your family this is not a funeral home you want to use. I have contacted over a hundred funeral homes and gotten information about relatives funerals from the late 1800's to present. Can't believe that this funeral home does not care enough to keep these records.
A. H.
Dec 18, 2014
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Now, I went to wake and funeral arranged by Kolbus Funeral Home. I was not involved in the pricing and planning. This is my review merle as a person attending the wake, mass and burial. My family and I were in agreement that the staff on hand was so very polite, calming and helpful to the family of the loved one. The way they organized the procession of cars, spoke with the widow and even gave a statement at the burial to think about and pray for the family and friends of the loved ones. I was very impressed with their attention to detail and seem to take ease off of the difficult planning.
