Browne Memorial Funeral Chapels: where we recognize that "Things Not For Sale" - compassion, understanding, and thoughtful service -- are the important responsibilities to the families we serve.
In 1883, J. Francis Browne joined in a family home furnishing business serving the then-thriving Thompsonville section of town. As a sideline, he became a licensed funeral embalmer. From 1883 to the 1920's, he operated out of the Browne Furniture Store located on the corner of Pearl and High Streets in Thomposonville. The business delivered furniture and household items by horse and wagon and transported caskets to homes the same way.
Along with caskets, they provided funeral garments and prepared bodies of the deceased in their own homes, often in their bedrooms. This was the way that death had been handled for generations, with the deceased then being "laid out" in their own parlors.
The heart of Thompsonville's commerce was the carpet factory, and in order to get the bulky caskets into the factory workers' tenements, windows or doorways would often need to be dismantled. Hoists and pulleys would have to be used to winch caskets up to second- or third-floor apartments. Some of the older colonial houses in town had "casket doors" specifically designed t o accommodate caskets. Some to date still have them, and the people who live in those houses may have wondered why there is a door that is never used in an odd area of the house.
After a time, J. Francis Browne's brother, Daniel "Danny" Browne, entered the business as an embalmer. J. Francis' oldest son, J. Francis "Frank" Browne, Jr., began part-time work as a teenager in the 1920's for his father an uncl, and continued through his college years. Frank's two younger brothers, William and Richard, also worked in the family businesses.
J. Francis Browne, Sr. died in 1950, a prominent citizen. He was elected the first Irish mayor of Enfield, he ran for state comptroller, and was a delegate at the 1940 Democratic National Convention. He also was the State's licensing agent for funral directors and embalmers. He was a member of virtually every club or civic group that existed in Enfield, including Kiwanis, rotary and Knights of Columbus. He was one of the founding members of the Thompsonville Board of Trade, which evolved into the Enfiedl Chamber of Commerce. He was also a founder of the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission. People remember him as a very giving man, a man who believed in service to others and who placed great faith and trust in others.
In 1936, the three brothers opened Browne's Funeral Home, a 22 room home at 121 Pearl Street in Thompsonville. This was in keeping with the then-emerging trend of performing funeral services at a funeral home, rather than waking in the deceased's home. In 1937, the brothers purchased their second funeral home, a beautiful mansion in Stafford Springs which Richard operated for many years. With these changes, the Browne family's primary business focus shifted to funeral service.
The two younger brothers, William and Richard, retired in the early 1960's and Frank continued to run the home in Thompsonville. His son, J. Francis "Bud" Browne III, joined him in the business in 1973. They worked together for seven years until Frank's death in 1980.
The Browne family has produced nine licensed funeral directors in three generations: J. Francis Browne, Sr. and his wife, Molly; J. Francis "Frank" Browne, Jr. and his wife, Alice; Daniel J. Browne; William J. Browne; Richard Y. Browne and his wife, Elise; and J. Francis "Bud" Browne, III. Their history continues with the 1989 opening of a modern new facility: Browne Funeral Chapel at 43 Shaker Road in Enfield, built by Bud and Cheri Browne.
Email: info@brownefuneralchapel.com
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