The Woody funeral business in Orange started in 1913 when Mary Colson Woody opened the Woody Funeral Home in her home at 163 Central Place. She was the first woman funeral director licensed by the State of New Jersey.
Mary Colson Woody was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1874. She attended Petersburg public schools and studied nursing at the Dixie School of Nursing in Hampton, Virginia. While working in Danville, Virginia she met and later married David D. Woody in 1902.
Jim Crow laws existing in the South at this time, not only restricted the personal freedoms of African-Americans but also limited their employment opportunities. For this reason the couple decided to migrate North after their marriage. They were at the vanguard of what came to be known as the Great Migration, the relocation of several million African-Americans from the southern states to northern cities. After settling in New Jersey, David D. Woody went into the funeral business and established the Woody Funeral Home that thrived for over sixty years in the North Ward of Newark.
The funeral business was a relatively new industry that really started during the Civil War, little more than fifty years earlier. Most of the preparation of the body took place in the home of the deceased. After embalming and dressing the body at home, a casket was brought to the house and a wake was held in the “parlor” or living room. This was followed by the funeral at a church. A unique segment of Mrs. Woody’s clientele were unmarried women she served - often domestics - who preferred a lady embalmer.
Mrs. Woody became an active member of the Orange community. She was a founding member and longtime treasurer of the Orange Chapter of the NAACP and was very active in the St. John’s Methodist Church located at that time on Hickory Street in Orange. Mrs. Woody moved her business to 200 Central Avenue in Orange in the 1930’s.
In 1942 the business moved to its present location at 163 Oakwood Avenue. Mary Woody retired in 1944 and the funeral home was taken over by her eldest son, T. Colson Woody, a graduate of Virginia State College and New York University School of Business. In addition to running the funeral home, he established a small tax preparation business and the funeral home name was changed to Woody “Home For Services”. Colson was appointed to the Orange Planning Board and the Orange board of Education and was active with the Oakwood YMCA, the “Colored” Y and the Boy Scout Troop at Union Baptist Church.
Clifford White began working at the business in 1949. Born and raised in Newark, Clifford he was a life long member of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark. He served on Trustee Board at Bethany and was also on the board of the Newark Boys Club. In 1965 the business was incorporated and Clifford R. White became one of the stockholders.
In the early 60’s John Scott Lee, of East Orange and Russell Jackson of Montclair joined the staff. John, who started while still in high school continued at the funeral home for over 50 years until his death in 2014. Russell has remained on the staff for over fifty years.
An addition to the funeral home in 1972 doubled its space to include a chapel and lounge. After the death of Colson Woody in 1974, Clifford White managed the business until his death in 1987. Colson Woody’s youngest daughter, Ida and Clifford White’s youngest daughter, Sharon are now funeral directors continuing the business.
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Brown’s Funeral Home was founded in 1922 by Andrew L. Brown at 317 Plainfield Ave., Plainfield, NJ. He died suddenly in December of 1931 leaving a wife and three children behind. His wife, Adele M. Brown, was a licensed beautician at the time. As a young widow, she enrolled in mortuary school in New York to continue the operation of the business. In 1935, she became a licensed funeral director and embalmer. In 1945 Adele relocated the business to its current location at 122 Plainfield Ave. in Plainfield, just two blocks from the first location.
Her daughter Louise Brown became a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1951 becoming the second generation to work with her mother. Though not a licensed director, Adele’s son Charles I. Brown, Sr. assisted with the operation of the business until his passing in 1957. In 1974, Adele passed away leaving the total operation of the business to Louise. In 1976 her husband Tyree P. Jones, Sr. became a licensed funeral director and embalmer and assisted Louise with the operation of the business until her passing in 1982. He has managed the funeral home since that time.
In 1993, Louise and Tyree’s daughter Diane Jones Gentles became a licensed funeral director and embalmer becoming the third generation to continue the operation of the business. Having grown up in the business and after his retirement from Verizon, Adele’s grandson Charles I. Brown, Jr. assisted working in the business with Tyree and Diane until his passing in September 2019.
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Carnie P. Bragg Sr., graduated from the Renouard Training School for Embalmers of New York City, New York. In 1937, along with his wife, Eunice, co-founded Bragg Funeral Home in Passaic, New Jersey. Mr. Bragg's exceptional level of service working with families earned him a reputation as a kind, caring and compassionate funeral professional. Due to the growth and success of the Passaic facility, the second facility was opened in 1945 to service the Paterson community. In 1945, Mrs. Bragg graduated from the Renouard Training School for Embalmers. Carnie and Eunice moved to Paterson along with their two children, Constance and Carnie, Jr. Constance attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and in later years became the Office Manager. Carnie, Jr. attended and graduated from Fisk University in 1961 and from McAllister School of Embalming in New York City in 1962. He was licensed in 1963 and was the Senior Director from 1972 until his passing in December 2020.
Mr. Bragg Sr., past president of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association was scheduled to attend its convention in New Orleans, Louisiana when he was tragically killed in an automobile accident. The business continued under the direction of Mrs. Bragg and Carnie, Jr. with the assistance of Constance B. Wright. The business was renamed Carnie P. Bragg Funeral Homes, Inc. After Mrs. Bragg passed away on November 7, 1990 both Constance and Carnie, Jr. were left to carry on the family business. The Funeral Home has a long history of serving the residents of Northern New Jersey and has come to be regarded as a neighborhood institution. Many families have grown to depend on the Bragg family at the time of one of life's most stressful situations.
Constance and Carnie, Jr. have continued to build an organization of the finest staff members, both past and present, who have contributed to the growth and heritage of the company, and who are dedicated to serving families through their most difficult time. We thank all of you who have entrusted your loved ones with us.
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The James E. Churchman, Jr. Funeral Home is located in Newark, NJ. We have been a family-owned and operated business since 1899.
For the past 100 years, there has been a member of the Churchman family actively involved in the funeral service profession in the greater Essex county area of New Jersey. The story of the Churchman family is both complex and simple. It is a story of determination, vision and a desire for betterment.
We continue to uphold the rich legacy of Rev. James E. Churchman. We are firm not only in our desire to aid families in their time of need, but also by our quest to stay abreast of the latest in technology and regulation of the profession, membership in civic, fraternal and funeral service organizations and the sure and certain knowledge that this outstanding story of America’s history has many chapters yet to be written.
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Judkins Colonial Home has been serving Plainfield area families for years. We are honored to be a part of the rich history of this community and plan to be a part of it for many years to come.
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Cornelius Rensalear Parker Jr., (died July 2014) husband, father, and friend, was born on April 1, 1916, to Cornelius Sr. and died July 2014 Ella Carter Parker. His father passed away in 1936. By the time he was 18, Cornelius Jr., the eldest of six, became the man of the family. Fired with ambition and a desire to successfully follow in his father's footsteps, he enrolled in the New York School of Embalming and Restorative Art. He received the highest score on the State Board of Embalming and Funeral Directors' examinations in 1939 and became the youngest graduate in mortuary school. Walking in his father's footsteps, Cornelius Jr. developed the family business and fueled his passion for service with a lifelong dedication to Jersey City. No responsibility was insignificant to Mr. Parker. Cornelius was a chauffeur, mechanic, dock worker, welder, truck driver, trade embalmer -- all while he own a business. A father and husband already, it was common for Mr. Parker to work three jobs simultaneously. Never complaining and too busy for idle vanity, Cornelius Jr. was proud to toil for his family and the prominent Jersey City business community. And Jersey City circa 1950 was prime time for his business and personal life. In 1954, while holding down three jobs, Mr. Parker had a burning desire ambition to purchase his funeral home. With the paltry sum of $30 in his pocket, Cornelius moved with his family into the house at the corner of Clinton and Madison avenues. This nearly 150-year- old structure had seen Cornelius become a prominent fixture in his community. Whether providing dignified funeral services to all who sought his services, needy or not, to serving as an elected councilman, to serving as a co-founder of one of the most recognized funeral director organizations in the state, or being honored 12 times at "Man of the Year" by his church, Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion, this successful high achiever had much to be proud of. The finest woman on the Eastern seaboard, the late Emma M. Parker (nee Weedon) from Maryland, married Cornelius Jr. when he was still an aspiring entrepreneur. Evidently, they both knew a good thing when they saw it. The Parkers celebrated 53 years of marriage and raised eight children.
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