Our Staff
Brown's Staff
Kevin Brown
Founder/CEO
Kevin Brown began his career in funeral service in 1991, when he started working at a funeral home in Fort Bragg, California. After two years of serving families, 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 Mesa County Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Service Inc .
Sheila Brown
President / Office Manager
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.
Debbie Hazelhurst
Administrative Assistant
Meet Debbie Hazelhurst, Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire!
Debbie comes to us with nearly 40 years of executive and administrative experience. Throughout her career she has traversed various and diverse fields of employment: School District 51, energy equipment, greenhouse nursery, cemetery landscaping, and banking. During her banking career, she served as Assistant Vice- President of Central Operations.
It was Debbie’s firsthand experience with cemetery operations that piqued her interest in the funeral industry. Her keen sense of empathy and willingness to help people in their time of need, allows Debbie to excel at what she does best.
Her expertise in behind the scenes assistance to the funeral directors, a kind and welcoming face a the front desk, as well as a warm and reassuring voice on the phone, makes her a perfect fit among Brown’s team of professionals.
A mother of three and grandmother of two, she’s a woman who knows how to have fun. Motorcycles, fishing, RVing , and mystery games are among her favorite activities, but her most cherished moments are her early morning walks with her husband and two dachshunds.
Jeanie Hendricks
Funeral Director
Jeanie’s career in funeral service has spanned decades. She has proudly served families in Pennsylvania, California, Arizona and 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.
David Botruff
Funeral Director, Embalmer, Crematory Manager
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 Service Center, where he oversees the crematory, embalming facility and refrigerated care unit.
Thomas Walton
Assistant Manager / Funeral Director/Embalmer
Brown’s Cremation and Funeral Service is delighted to welcome Thomas Preston Walton, III to our staff.Growing up in Arlington, TX Thomas was very empathetic, often expressed compassion for others and was an exceptionally good listener. He always knew he wanted to help people. Attending his grandfather’s funeral became a pivotal time in his life. Expecting the worst, he remembers how much better he felt after seeing his grandfather’s body in the casket. He watched friends and other family members show the same positive reaction at the viewing. At the funeral service, he witnessed the caring attentiveness of the professional funeral directors.At age 13, he announced to his mother he wanted to be a funeral director, and had her take him to the local Funeral Home to meet the funeral director there. He learned exactly what was required and was determined that someday he would go to Mortuary College.Thomas was a good mortuary student and received an award for outstanding attendance. He graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in 2003. He began his mortuary career in Glenwood Springs, CO where he served as a funeral director and embalmer. He was also Deputy Coroner of Garfield County. Helping families through the difficulty of losing a loved one is a passion that fulfills him. Thomas is an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys hiking, four wheeling, camping and boating. He especially delights in metal detecting which has yielded many treasures. He also likes working on old cars. But, more than anything, Thomas is a devoted family man who enjoys spending time with his wife, Misty, and their son, Caden.
Benjamin Graebner
Funeral Director
Benjamin Graebner, former resident of Colorado, has returned to join the Brown’s team as a funeral director and embalmer. After attending Miami Dade College, School of Funeral Science, and following nearly three years working with Kraeer Funeral Homes and Gold Coast Crematory in Ft .Lauderdale, Florida, Ben and his family have come back to Colorado to be close to family and friends. Ben earned his bachelor's degree in 2010 at Ave Maria University near Naples, Florida where he spent 4 years as a college athlete. Since entering the funeral industry, Ben has found deep satisfaction in his chosen profession. He is honored to be helping families in his community during their time of grief. Although not born here, Ben considers himself a Colorado native convert. He and his wife, Angela, their two children, Solomon and Amalia, along with their Tibetan Terrier, Kona love the outdoors and are glad to be home hiking the beautiful trails in Colorado.
Mike Shero
Funeral Director
Mike Shero relocated to Grand
Junction with his wife, Judy, to be
close to their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
Roy Goldman
Funeral Director/Embalmer
Pastor David Crowley
Pre-Need Councilor
Clarence Thomson
Pre-Need Councilor
Sophie Girl
Emotional Support
Sophie is a 10 year old Golden Retriever/ Lab mix. She’s an emotional support dog with an amazing temperament and seems to have a keen sense for those who are grieving. We have 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 loves being here at work. You’ll find her making her way through the funeral home, bringing a smile to all who come in contact with her. It wasn’t really our intention to have her at the funeral home, but she is such a comfort to our entire staff and to the many families we care for. She has become quite the little celebrity and a fixture here at the funeral home. We often have 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 furry family member Sophie. We know you’ll love her. We do!
