Our History

On January 1, 1950 - a tradition began… 
A tradition of a family-owned and operated funeral home that carried the principles of professionalism and dedication to service, that has characterized its namesake for nearly three quarters a century. This dedication to service has been passed down for three generations.

In 1950, Samuel W. Brown and his wife Anne, opened Samuel W. Brown Funeral Home in a two-family brick structure at 267 Centre Street in Nutley, New Jersey. The building was purchased in 1949 from Mrs. Brown’s uncle and aunt, Ralph and Angelica Jannarone. The first floor apartment was renovated to accommodate the funeral home, while the Browns resided on the second floor. A new facade and office were added to the original building in 1954.
In 1956, the one-family stucco residence, on the west side of the funeral home, was purchased from Mary Vitolo. In 1959, the two buildings were joined together. The entire first floor of the two buildings was used for the funeral home, and two apartments were made on the second floor.

Over the years there have been several alterations done to the interior and exterior of the building. This created the appearance that the funeral home was one building, and not two buildings joined together. The interior was made more functional and spacious with each improvement. Also, two residences were purchased and one was razed on Brookline Avenue for parking.
In 1961, John F. Brown, son of Samuel W. and Anne J. Brown, became licensed as a practitioner of mortuary science, thus the name of the funeral home was changed to S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home. Upon John’s graduation from Seton Hall University in 1964, he joined the family business on a full time basis.
In 1974, John and his wife Jo-Ann, purchased the business and property from Samuel Brown who had recently become a widower. In 1976, the business was incorporated with John F. Brown becoming the manager.

In 1986, John purchased the Johnesee Nutley Home for Funerals from Everett and Mary Jayne Johnesee, who sold their property on Washington Ave. in Nutley. Johnesee was relocated to 267 Centre Street, Nutley.


Peter Brown, son of John F. and Jo-Ann (Di Iorio) Brown, the third generation Brown, graduated from Xavier University in 1989. He completed Mortuary College, was licensed in 1992, and also joined the family business on a full-time basis.   


After Peter's passing, his sister Suzanne, a licensed Architect, Board Certified Health Care Architect, and a Certified Interior Designer, became a licensed Practioner of Mortuary Science, and joined the family business.


Our Staff

John F. Brown, Manager
License No. 23JP00263300

Licensed Funeral Directors: 

Suzanne Brown
License No. 23JP00536700

Anthony Cassie
License No. 23JP00415900

Lawrence J. Charlton
License No. 23JP00429000

Theresa R. Cox
License No. 23JP00527400

Samuel W. Brown passed away peacefully on July 27, 2008 in his apartment above the funeral home.

We are not affiliated with any corporations that operate a large number of funeral homes. We are a family owned and operated business who treat all of our families as individuals, not numbers. It is within this framework of an honored tradition that we continue to serve our families past, present, and future. 
We gladly answer inquiries regarding current services, pre-planning or any other questions that you may have during our extensive daytime office hours and always promptly and personally respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to assist you when a death has occurred.  

Since the phones ring in our private homes, please limit emergency and death calls only from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.

In Memoriam

Samuel W. Brown

Samuel W. Brown, of Nutley, died peacefully at home at the age of 95, on Sunday, July 27, 2008. Born in Newark, he lived in Belleville before moving to Nutley in 1938. A graduate of the New York School of Embalming and Restorative Art, Sam was the founder of the Samuel W. Brown Funeral Home on January 1, 1950. 

He is son of the late Martha (Gilfillan) and John F. Brown, and the beloved husband of the late, Anne (Jannarone) Brown. Sam is survived by his son, John F. Brown & his wife, Jo-Ann; his granddaughter, Suzanne Brown & her husband, Joseph Higgins, and his grandson, Peter M. Brown, along with his great-grandsons, Tyler G. and Ian E. Brown, as well as countless, extended family members.
Sam Brown is still known as a pillar of the community, a respected businessman, and an adored man, whom many enjoy telling stories about, to this day.

In Memoriam       Peter M. Brown

Peter M. Brown, 53 of Nutley, passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2020. Born in Belleville, he was a lifelong resident of Nutley. He was the manager of S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home.
Peter attended Paul VI Highschool in Clifton, and was as graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. He also was a graduate of Mercer County Community College, where he obtained his degree in Mortuary Science. He was an avid motorcycle rider.
Peter is survived by his parents, John F. and JoAnn (Di Iorio) Brown; his sons, Tyler G. Brown and Ian E. Brown; his sister, Suzanne Brown, and her husband Joseph Higgins; his former wife Cindy (Watts) Brown; and his faithful companion Kimberly Fleak.

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