Sister Wives star Kody Brown revealed he asked to dig his late son’s grave in this week’s episode, which aired on Sunday.
The TLC reality star, 56, opened up about how he wanted to honor his son Garrison Brown by digging his grave himself in preparation of the funeral in Wyoming.
‘It means something to me. I don’t know why,’ Kody said as he recalled the meaningful and heartbreaking event. ‘It’s something deeply emotional.’
In a sit-down confessional, he recalled how the Brown family made preparations for Garrison’s funeral.
In the emotional episode, Kody talked about how he and his ex-wife Janelle Brown prepared for their son’s funeral following his sudden death from suicide at the age of 25 in March 2024.
‘Here’s the thing. I talked to the sexton of the cemetery, and he’s the one that would normally dig the graves,’ Kody explained while a scene of him arriving at the grave site was playing.
Sister Wives star Kody Brown revealed he asked to dig his late son’s grave in this week’s episode, which aired on Sunday
The TLC reality star, 56, opened up about how he wanted to honor his son Garrison Brown by digging his grave himself in preparation of the funeral in Wyoming. Garrison was one of Kody and ex-wife Janelle Brown’s six children
‘I just asked him [for] permission if I could dig it,’ he said.
For the task, Kody’s brother Scott and brother-in-law Tim also helped him.
Kody explained that both of them were a part of ‘the men group who nurtured’ Garrison ‘into maturity.’
Kody also explained that though he did not bring the urn that his son’s remains are in — adding that his son-in-law Mitch ‘is making something different and I don’t know what it looks like yet.’
The father-of-18 continued: ‘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,’ he added.
‘Just trying to honor my son as best I can. I don’t even know if it’s honor. It’s mourning.’
Garrison’s grave was placed beside their other dearly departed family members.
‘It means something to me. I don’t know why,’ Kody said as he recalled the meaningful and heartbreaking event. ‘It’s something deeply emotional.’ In a sit-down confessional, he recalled how the Brown family made preparations for Garrison’s funeral
In the emotional episode, Kody talked about how he and his ex-wife Janelle Brown prepared for their son’s funeral following his sudden death from suicide at the age of 25 in March 2024
He rests beside his Grandma Cheryl, Kody explained as he added that she ‘probably nurtured Garrison as much as any of us.’
Kody and his ex-wife Janelle were estranged at the time of Garrison’s death, but the pair put their differences aside to lay their beloved son to rest peacefully.
Garrison was their fourth child out of six. They welcomed four sons and two daughters together and have since become grandparents to three too.
Kody and Janelle were previously married from 1993, and she joined him in creating a big family through polygamy.
In 2022, they separated and filed to end their plural marriage — though they were not legally married through their many years together.
The show also gave fans an inside look at the private funeral service the Brown family held for their late family member in Wyoming.
He was laid to rest at the Penrose Cemetary in Wyoming, where the family considers to be their home base.
In the episode, Janelle also spoke about her heartbreak as she mourned their son.
Kody and his ex-wife Janelle were estranged at the time of Garrison’s death, but the pair put their differences aside to lay their beloved son to rest peacefully. Garrison was their fourth child out of six. They welcomed four sons and two daughters together and have since become grandparents to three too
She admitted she was ‘just kind of numb’ and didn’t ‘really have many feelings.’
‘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 also noted that ‘there’s going to be some awkwardness still’ while many of their family remain estranged from each other.
Later, Mitch Thompson, the husband of Christine Brown’s daughter Aspyn Thompson, put his carpentry and carving skills to build an urn resembling a Viking ship to honor Garrison’s interest in Norse culture.
Many of Garrison’s loved ones shared touching words as they laid him to rest.
Kody also revealed to the cameras that some family members even brought ‘special tokens’ with special ‘meaning’ to be laid with Garrison.
‘He’s finally here. He’s finally at rest,’ Janelle said to the cameras at the end of their service. ‘It’s finished. This part of the journey is finished.’
