NEED TO KNOW
- This week’s episode of Sister Wives gave fans an inside look at Garrison Brown’s private funeral service.
- He was laid to rest at the Penrose Cemetery in Wyoming, where the Brown family considers to be their brood’s home base.
- Garrison died in March 2025 at age 25.
This week’s episode of Sister Wives was an emotional one.
On Sunday, May 18, the TLC hit gave fans an inside look at Garrison Brown’s private funeral service in Wyoming. He was buried at Penrose Cemetery in Byron, Wyoming, beside relatives, including his grandmother Cheryl.
A title card played before footage from the service appeared, informing audiences that “at the family’s request, cameras were positioned at a distance during the burial to respect their privacy.”
From there, Garrison’s mother, Janelle Brown, spoke to the cameras, admitting she was “just kind of numb” and didn’t “really have any feelings” as she prepared for the tragic moment. “It’s just one of those things that you just wonder, how did we get here? It’s just nothing but sad and heartbreaking,” Meri Brown said separately.
Kody Brown, Garrison’s father, then noted that “there’s going to be some awkwardness still” heading into the service due to the larger family estrangement.
Mitch Thompson, the husband of Christine Brown’s daughter Aspyn Thompson, put his carpentry and carving skills to work to build an urn that was shaped and resembled a Viking ship, as Garrison was intrigued by Norse culture.
Leading the service was Kody’s brother-in-law, Tim, who arrived wearing a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Explaining the inspiration behind the unique fashion choice, Kody, 56, shared, “Garrison had this little business he wanted to start called Bob’s Floral. And it was going to be, you know, Hawaiian shirts.”
Tim gave some prepared remarks, beginning by saying “marriage” is the reason they’re all there, leading the attendees to erupt in laughter. Janelle, 56, appreciated the gesture, noting that Garrison would have done something “silly” like this as well.
Then, taking a more somber approach, Tim shared that “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.”
“On the other hand, in time, a mother will understand only a mother’s joy, a father will only understand a father’s pride. And this mortality is about learning how to embrace both sides of the experience.”
From there, Tim requested that everyone remove their “shoes and socks and stand barefoot on the grass,” which Kody separately explained was “not a fundamentalist Mormon thing” they were doing. He also noted that this funeral “is not cookie-cutter by any means” and that “Garrison would have it with your bare feet on the soil.”
“As I stand here with my bare feet upon the soil, I want to testify that I believe in the resurrection. And I have a faith, but mostly I have a hope that I will be reunited, that I will be reunited with my loved ones, and that we will rejoice in a mutual embrace again,” Tim concluded. “And I would encourage everyone to gain such testimony in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.”
They began to place Garrison’s urn into the grave, which Janelle lifted to hand to Kody, who then placed it into the ground. Janelle felt like “there’s some symbolism in me handing him to Kody.”
But before doing so, Kody shared a recent “dream” he had, where “Garrison was sitting in my bed and it wasn’t sad.” He continued, “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.'”
Other family members also took a moment to speak, as they were allowed to place items of their choosing in the grave. Christine’s son Paedon Brown was the first to approach, opting to place his military tags in the grave. “I have yours, you have mine,” Padeon, 26, said to the group, later telling the cameras how that “felt really, really right.”
Garrison’s brother, Hunter Brown, then approached, saying, “Garrison was my playmate. He was my bunkmate for all of my life.”
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“He was my arch nemesis and my best friend and blood brother,” he continued. “… Garrison was my first salute as a commissioned officer, and this was my hat that I got my first salute from Garrison in.”
Hunter then placed his hat in the grave. Others placed dirt over it, and Kody later revealed to the cameras that some family members even “brought special tokens” that hold great “meaning,” which were laid beside Garrison.
“He’s finally here. He’s finally at rest,” Janelle told the cameras. “It’s finished. This part of the journey is finished.”
Garrison died in March 2025 at age 25. PEOPLE later confirmed that his death was ruled a suicide.
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Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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