Famous people's places / Detroit – East Side
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Detroit's largest Catholic cemetery on the city's east side, the resting place of mob boss Joseph Zerilli, four Michigan congressmen and Motown bandleader Joe Hunter.
01 / The story of this place
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Mount Olivet opened in 1888 on Van Dyke Avenue and grew into Detroit's largest Catholic cemetery, serving generations of the city's Catholic families, especially its Italian, Polish and Irish communities. Its most notorious resident is Joseph Zerilli, who led the Detroit Partnership crime family for decades until his death in 1977. The cemetery is also the final resting place of four members of the U.S. House and Senate from Michigan: Patrick V. McNamara, John Lesinski Sr., George G. Sadowski and Thaddeus M. Machrowicz. Joe Hunter, the pianist and bandleader who led Motown's Funk Brothers studio band in its earliest years, is buried here too, following his death in 2007. The cemetery remains active today, spread across a large, tree-lined stretch of Detroit's east side.
- Opened 1888, Detroit's largest Catholic cemetery
- Burial place of Detroit crime boss Joseph Zerilli
- Four Michigan U.S. representatives and one senator are buried here
- Motown bandleader Joe Hunter's grave is here
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 7
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Tom Tyler 1903–1954 · film actor, weightlifter
Buried here
Tyler was buried in this large Catholic cemetery on Detroit's east side after his death in May 1954.
- Patrick V. McNamara 1894–1966 · pipefitter, union leader, U.S. senator
Buried here
Detroit's largest Catholic cemetery, where he is interred.
- George G. Sadowski 1903–1961 · lawyer, politician
Buried here
East-side Catholic cemetery where Sadowski is buried.
- John Lesinski Sr. 1885–1950 · businessman, congressman, Polish community leader
Buried here
East-side Catholic cemetery where Lesinski is buried.
- Joe Hunter 1927–2007 · pianist, bandleader, arranger
Buried here
His grave.
- Joseph Zerilli 1897–1977 · boss of the Detroit Partnership (Detroit Mafia)
Buried here
Large Catholic cemetery on Detroit's east side where he is buried.
- Thaddeus M. Machrowicz 1899–1970 · lawyer, judge, congressman
Buried here
Large Catholic cemetery on Detroit's east side where Machrowicz is buried.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
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We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Official website & visitor information ↗