Losing a loved one is hard. But sharing that grief while on national TV is unimaginable to most. However, the Sister Wives clan is doing an amazing job of honoring Garrison Brown and bringing awareness to suicide. The most recent episode focused on Garrison’s funeral service in Wyoming. No matter what your opinion is on Kody Brown and Janelle Brown, at that moment of time, they were just parents trying to honor their beloved son.
Kody Brown digs Garrison Brown’s grave
In a touching act, Kody decided that after his journey home with Garrison, he also wanted to dig the grave. The 56-year-old felt the move was fitting. He shared, “Here’s the thing. I talked to the sexton of the cemetery, and he’s the one who would normally dig the graves. I just asked him [for] permission if I could dig it. It means something to me. I don’t know why. It’s something deeply emotional.” Kody’s brother Scott and Tim joined too, as they were the “men group who nurtured Garrison into maturity.” As cameras looked on, Kody added, “For the act of effort in this, because we’re not digging a grave big enough for a coffin, I’m going to make it a little bit bigger than certainly that I need for this urn. I want the experience of doing some real effort here.”
The gesture was humbling as Kody dug deep into the earth. And when he was done, he sat and watched the sunset on Garrison’s final resting place. Naturally, Kody became quite emotional as he lamented, “I’ve never done anything like this, digging a grave. I think this is one of the most important things I’ve ever done. It’s the last ode to my boy. Just trying to honor my son as best I can. I don’t even know if it’s honor. It’s mourning.”
Garrison Brown was laid to rest
Garrison’s private funeral service was filled with love. Most of his 18 siblings showed up. As did all four of Kody’s wives. Leon Brown, who hasn’t been filmed for seasons, appeared at the gravesite as well as Logan Brown. The eldest son of Kody and Janelle stood firmly near his mother, handing her tissues when needed. Also, his grandmother, the patriarch’s mother, was there to show support. Garrison was laid to rest in a handmade urn that resembled a Viking ship. The cat lover was buried at Penrose Cemetery in Byron, Wyoming, beside relatives. Before the service, a title card appeared on screen telling Sister Wives viewers, “at the family’s request, cameras were positioned at a distance during the burial to respect their privacy.”
Janelle spoke to the TLC cameras, sharing she was “just kind of numb” and didn’t “really have any feelings.” Kody’s first wife, Meri Brown, added, “It’s just one of those things that you just wonder, how did we get here? It’s just nothing but sad and heartbreaking.” At one point, Janelle was seen leaning her head on Meri’s shoulder for support during the service. The service was led by Kody’s brother-in-law, Tim, who wore one of Garrison’s Hawaiian shirts. Kody noted, “Garrison had this little business he wanted to start called Bob’s Floral. And it was going to be, you know, Hawaiian shirts.”
The Brown family put their issues aside for Garrison Brown
During his eulogy, Tim noted, “the key thing I took away from Garrison in life was we’re always going to find a way to cut up on something. We’re always going to find a way to find humor, and we’re going to enjoy life.” Tim continued, “None of us, except for a mother who’s had this set of events, will understand a mother’s anguish. None of us, except a father who’s been in this circumstance, will understand a father’s remorse.”
Both Janelle and Kody then started to place the urn in the grave. As Janelle handed their son to Kody for his final resting place, she noted, “There’s some symbolism in me handing him to Kody.” The father of 18 shared he had a dream where “Garrison was sitting in my bed and it wasn’t sad. I said, ‘Why you gone, boy?’ He said, ‘I’m not, ain’t that bad here. Stop listening to sad music. It sucks when I’m hanging out with you. But I’m OK, just stop with the sad music.'” The siblings also took a moment by the grave. Paedon Brown put military dog tags in the grave while Hunter Brown shared, “Garrison was my playmate. He was my bunkmate for all of my life.”
Sister Wives is available to stream on TLC.
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