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Retired
Kevin Brown began his career in funeral service in 1991, when he started working at Chapel By The Sea in Fort Bragg, California. After two years of working in the industry, he knew it was more than a job it was a calling. He graduated from San Francisco College of Mortuary Science as a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, working in California and Nevada until he relocated to Colorado. He worked at funeral homes on the Front Range and the Western Slope. And, while in Glenwood Springs, Kevin was also appointed as Deputy Coroner in Garfield County.
Kevin and his wife Sheila enjoy traveling and spending time with their children and grandchildren. As a professional singer, Kevin has won awards, recorded his music and delighted the community with his wonderful voice.
Kevin loves people and is passionate about helping them during their time of loss. For years, his dream was to have his own funeral establishment where families could choose simplicity without compromising dignity. Where funeral merchandise and services are affordable to everyone, and where customers are treated like family.
Kevin is proud to offer Western Colorado Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Service Inc .
Retired
Sheila Brown is a native of Grand Junction. She began her legal career as a Division Clerk for the 21st Judicial District of Colorado, and served over 20 years.
Sheila’s ability to inspire, motivate and build confidence in others catapulted her into a successful 30 year marketing career with an international catalog company based in the U.S.
Friends often praise Sheila for her abilities as a homemaker, interior decorator and candy maker extraordinaire. But, she would say her biggest accomplishment is being a wife and mother, and her greatest joy is being a grandmother. Her cup overflows.
General Manager
We proudly present Jay Wilson, General Manager of Brown’s. Jay’s area of responsibility is to oversee
everyday operations of the Funeral Home and Care Center, staffing, inventory,
and automobiles. In addition, Jay makes
funeral arrangements and is licensed to sell PreNeed insurance.
Office Manager/ Funeral Director
Brown’s proudly introduces Andrea Wilson, Office Manager. Originally from southern California, Andrea and her husband, Jay, have lived and worked in various parts of the country –most recently Arizona.
Never afraid to take on a challenge, Andrea set out to be a Large Animal Veterinarian. At the time she was taking her college courses, she was also training and showing Arabian horses. Her love for animals soon became obvious when she had collected enough orphaned animals to open a petting zoo!
Funeral Director
Douglas Thomason had been helping
us nights and weekends, and found the work very rewarding. When asked to become
a permanent member of our team, he “came out of retirement” and joined us at
Brown’s.
Funeral Director/Pre-need Counselor
With pleasure, we welcome
Brandon Alvelais, to our team of funeral professionals.
When Brandon was an Emergency Medical Technician, he often found himself consoling grief-stricken relatives when a loved one had died. Later, he worked for a mortuary transport service and considered it an honor to be placed in that position of trust. He soon realized he was suited to serve people at such a difficult time and decided on a career in funeral service.
Brandon has worked for a mortuary transport service, with a coroner’s office as a forensic technician, and was a funeral home crematory operator. With Brandon’s work ethic, integrity and attention to detail, he is a perfect addition to our team. He will also be licensed to sell pre-need insurance.
In Brandon’s younger years, he was an avid musician who played drums and bugle, taught high school students how to play the instruments, and traveled throughout the country in Drum & Bugle Corps competitions.
Originally from Sacramento, and after living in Las Vegas for a few years, Brandon and his wife, Amanda, along with their cat “Kitty” have relocated to Fruita, Colorado to be near family.
Brandon likes to hike, camp, hunt and fish, but most of all he loves donning his “Home Chef” apron and turning out a weekend delectable.
Funeral Director
Brown’s is very pleased to introduce and welcome back our
newest Funeral Director, JT Noyes. Jt is
no stranger to the industry as he has been caring for families for over 10
years and has had a drive to serve in this industry since the young age of 7.
Jt has immense experience in embalming, mortuary transport, funeral
planning, and crematory operations. Jt
expresses that he enjoys what he does because it is one of the purest forms of
service and caring for others. Jt has a
natural ability to connect with families and is often described as patient and empathetic
with others.
JT is a native to Utah but is no stranger to Colorado as he was once before a proud member of the Brown’s Staff. JT has re-located back to Grand Junction and is very excited to be integrated back into the community and looks forward enjoying his free time by playing pickle ball, shooting pool and enjoying all the other recreation that is offered here on the Western Slope, including riding ATVs. Jt is an avid football fan and declares himself to be the #1 New York Giants fan. Jt is a versed poker player and looks forward to a good tournament when it presents itself.
Funeral Director
With Pleasure Brown’s would like to introduce the newest
Funeral Director to our team, Sarah Bolotin.
Sarah is new to the industry but does not come unexperienced
to trauma, grief and the impact that losing a loved one can take on a family,
as she previously worked with the school district and Mesa County, supporting
children and parents from all over the Grand Valley for over 5 years.
Sarah was interested in a career in aftercare because she is
very passionate about helping grieving families during one of the most
challenging times they will experience.
Sarah is confident and well versed in walking along side those who have
had the misfortune of living through their trauma.
Sarah is the proud first-time mother of baby Nikolai who was
only born 2 months before she started this new adventure into a new career, she
has the encouraging and loving support during this time from her husband Greg
of 13 years.
In Sarah’s spare time away from the Funeral Home she enjoys
hiking, anything in the outdoors, play tennis and experiment with her amateur photography
skills.
Funeral Director
Cole recently relocated
with his family to Grand Junction from Seattle, WA where he served as a Funeral
Director and Fire Department Chaplain.
Serving in the Seattle area during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cole quickly found a fit as a funeral director and has been serving in that role since 2019.
With a decade of service as a minister and chaplain, Cole brings a unique perspective to honor the deceased and comfort the grieving.
Originally from
Littleton, CO Cole is eager to reconnect with his Colorado roots and get to
know the Western slope.
Cole and his family enjoy everything the beautiful Western slope has to offer from biking and hiking to enjoying time on the river - they love the outdoors. They also enjoy exploring Junction with their two dogs in tow.
If you really want to get to know Cole, ask him about his love for coffee, the Denver Broncos, craft beer, or Science Fiction.
Administrative Assistant / Funeral Planner
We are proud to introduce Alexis
Shank who joined the Brown’s team in June of 2021. As an Administrative
Assistant, she supports the Funeral Home, our directors, and the management
team. With her strong compassionate
personality and a keen attention to detail Alexis has become an integral part
of serving the families we care for.
Alexis is a native to Grand
Junction and comes from a family of 5 siblings.
She takes pride in her strong family ties. Alexis’ hobbies include painting and drawing,
spending time in the outdoors, reading mystery and fiction and of course
sharing her free time with her adorable and spunky pug Cleo.
Alexis has had an interest for the Funeral Industry since a young age and can easily imagine herself furthering her career into funeral directing and planning. Alexis’ willingness to always lend a helping hand to those who may need it and her ability to make a positive impact on people are what make her a natural fit for her position.
Crematory Manager
We are proud to introduce Richard White who joined the
Brown’s team in 2019. As a Funeral
Assistant, he supports the Funeral Home and Care Center with his attention
to detail and has become an integral part of our crematory operations.
Crematory Assistant
We would like to introduce our Care Center Team Member, Amanda Schultz. Amanda is our crematory operator and licensed cosmetologist. She takes a great deal of pride in making sure the loved ones of families are treated with care, compassion, and dignity.
Amanda has previous experience in mortuary work and cosmetology and found a great fit utilizing both sets of skills in the funeral home to care for families in such a difficult time. She takes every small detail into consideration.
Amanda is originally from Colorado and spent several years in Las Vegas with her husband before relocating to the western slope of Colorado to be closer to her family. Amanda is very connected to the Brown’s family as she works alongside her husband, Brandon, and sister, Sarah, who are both funeral directors with Brown’s.
Amanda LOVES animals, especially cats, and dedicates her free time to caring for cats in the community, helping stray animals find loving homes. Amanda spends her most of her free time in the gym, weight training and cooking delicious vegan recipes. She loves the color pink, and will never pass up a good concert or a trip to Sephora and Starbucks.
Pre-Need Counselor
Pat’s dedication to serving others began as a Police Officer near Cleveland, Ohio. Eventually the call of the Pacific Ocean brought Pat and his young family to California. Pat then spent more than thirty years helping the community and people of Santa Barbara with their insurance needs as well as singing Bass with an award-winning Men’s Chorus. Eventually Pat and his wife followed their son and his family to Grand Junction. They have enjoyed the city and the many friendly people who have welcomed them. Pat is honored and excited to be part of the Brown’s Cremation and Funeral Service family. His dedication to serving and helping others continues as Brown’s Pre-Need Specialist.
Pre-Need Counselor/ Care Team
With pleasure, we introduce Abram
Sanchez, a member of Brown’s Care Team. Abram
considers it an honor to connect with families at such a tender time.
His love for people and wanting to help them is a quality he developed while working at his father’s restaurant.
Abram is a fulltime student at CMU majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He especially enjoys his math and physics classes and has aspirations of eventually acquiring a position with Lockheed Martin or a similar corporation.
Abram loves coaching soccer, camping, hiking, spending time with his girlfriend, Lisa and his German Shepherd, Django
Office Assistant
With Pleasure Brown’s would like to introduce the newest member
of our staff Brady Thomason. Brady will
assist the management team, the funeral directors and our crematory manger with
day-to-day maintenance issues, clerical tasks and of course supporting families
in the chapel during their Celebrations of Life.
Brady comes to us straight out of high school, she graduated
in 2022 from Fruita Monument High School where her extracurricular activities included
varsity volleyball, track, and club volleyball. Brady will start her higher education this
fall locally at Colorado Mesa University where she will study Business
Administration and is interested in a minor of Mortuary Science.
When not working at the Funeral Home Brady enjoys spending
as much time as possible with her extra adventurous puppy Milo, hiking, camping,
and spending time with family and friends.
Funeral Director Emeritus
Jeanie’s career in funeral service has spanned decades. She has proudly served families in Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Colorado, incorporating invaluable experience in multi-traditions, rituals and cultures. As a graduate of Cypress College of Mortuary Science and licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, Jeanie is also licensed to sell PreNeed Insurance specific to the Funeral Industry.
In our ever changing society with increasing popularity of cremation, Jeanie’s forte is educating families in, what often times, is an unfamiliar process. She started and operated Mariposa Gardens, a successful cremation facility in Arizona and was a featured speaker at an annual CANA Convention, “Cremation Association of North America.”
No two families are the same; each has different wants and needs. Jeanie’s gentle explanations and presentation of options, assures each family is served according to their wishes and unique situation.
Emotional Support
Sophie was our 12 year old Golden Retriever/ Lab mix. She’s was emotional support dog with an amazing temperament and seems to have had a keen sense for those who were grieving. We had often seen her go to the person who is visibly hurting and lay her head in their lap, and for a few brief moments, take their mind off of their current situation. She absolutely loved being here at work. You’d find her making her way through the funeral home, bringing a smile to all who came in contact with her. It wasn’t really our intention to have her at the funeral home, but she was such a comfort to our entire staff and to the many families we cared for. She had become quite the little celebrity and a fixture here at the funeral home. We often had people come in and ask for Sophie because they’ve heard about her from others. We understand that no one cares to enter a funeral home, but unfortunately there comes a time when most of us will be faced with that task of planning a funeral. Our goal is to make that experience the best it can possibly be, and while you’re here we invite you to get to know our newest furry family member Paxton, Sophie's little brother We know you’ll love him We do!
Funeral Director, Embalmer, Crematory Manager- Emeritus
David Botruff received his degree in Mortuary Science from Southern Illinois University in 1981. He has been a skilled and compassionate funeral director, embalmer and cremationist for well over 30 years.
Always ready to serve, David was a multi-year member of the Rock Island County Coroner’s Disaster Response Team in Illinois and also an active member of the Funeral Director’s Association.
Additionally, David has served in the Lions Club and volunteered with the Salvation Army during the Holiday Season. He is especially proud of the time he spent working with persons with developmental disabilities at the Grand Junction Regional Center.
Above all, David credits his close-knit family as the key to his success. He is dedicated to his wife of 41 years, 5 wonderful children, 13 amazing grandkids and 2 delightful great-grandchildren.
We are happy to have David at Brown’s Care Center, where he oversees the crematory, embalming facility and refrigerated care unit.