Page A14 December 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Order Direct at 1-800-782-8249 Free UPS Ground Shipping www.mccordcasketsandvaults.com Bragg Funeral Home Celebrates 85 Years Continued from Page A14 Carnie Sr and Eunice Bragg Constance and Carnie Jr Bragg Funeral Home Staff PASSAIC,NJ— On September 15, 2022, Bragg Funeral Home celebrated 85 years of service with a black tie event at the Venetian in Garfield, NJ. Over 350 people came out to commemorate the occasion with the Bragg Family and staff. The mayor of Paterson, Andre Sayegh, spoke at the event, which was also attended by Benji Wimberly, NJ State representative, and many Paterson City council members and local dignitaries. Sayegh touched on his personal relationship with the funeral home and Carnie Bragg, Jr., the son of its original owners, Carnie Bragg, Sr. and his wife Eunice. Derek L. McKay, vice president of Bragg Funeral Home, spoke to the crowd, offering some history of the funeral home and then each staff member was introduced. “Then all were encouraged to party and have a great time,” says McKay. McKay is the son of Constance, who is the daughter of the Braggs. Bragg Funeral Home is the longest running African American business in Passaic County. It was started in 1937 when Carnie Sr. and Eunice saw that there was not a funeral home that catered to the African American community in North Jersey. They both went to mortuary school and were both licensed funeral directors in the business. In 1937, they opened the Passaic facility, Bragg Funeral Home, at 143 Myrtle Ave, where it still stands today. “Carnie, Sr. was a sanitation engineer for the city of Passaic when they first opened,” says McKay. “He would be working on the truck, and if a call came, he would rush home, shower, change and go meet the family. In those times, the funeral directors wore top hats and tails.” In 1945, a second facility at 256 Rosa Parks Blvd in Paterson was opened. Carnie Sr. and Eunice lived over the Paterson facility. The Paterson site was expanded to include 258 Rosa Parks Blvd, and after their son Carnie Jr. graduated from Fisk University and got his license, his family lived upstairs at that address. In the early 70’s, as they became available, they purchased 260 and 262 Rosa Parks and expanded showrooms and operations. “The facility now has a large chapel and four smaller chapels with a casket showroom downstairs,” says McKay. Later other properties were purchased to provide increased parking space. The Passaic facility was not originally a funeral home. The morgue was originally in the basement, with a small chapel. An early renovation created a morgue on the first floor and upgraded bathrooms for customers. “There was a factory in the back behind the funeral home when I was a child,” says McKay. “This area was annexed into the funeral home in the 70’s during a second renovation and a new larger morgue was built upstairs in that space behind our apartment. My grandfather’s brother George got his funeral director license and was the director at the Passaic facility while my grandparents focused on growing the Paterson facility. When he passed in the early 60’s is when my mother and our family moved to stay upstairs in Passaic.” It was the Bragg organization’s mindset that everybody deserves a service of dignity. They have communicated this ideology into every employee that has ever received a Bragg paycheck. “One of our early slogans, ‘Where service is paramount,’ is something they strive to keep alive today,” says McKay. They also believed that the funeral home should not only serve families but be an active part of the communities they serve. “From being involved in the NAACP, the Masons’, sponsoring youth and adult sports teams, Rotary, and supporting local events, BFH has continued to work towards positively affecting the North Jersey area,” says McKay. This commitment to the community and service has been continued by the Bragg’s children, Carnie Jr. and Constance. Carnie Jr. passed in 2020, but many still smile when they enter the building, remembering him sitting in the back, saying “Thank you for coming,” as he greeted them Constance still serves as the corporation’s president, supported by a devoted and experienced staff with McKay as vice president. They look forward to serving the communities of North Jersey for another 85 years. Historic Stained-Glass Window ory of Rabbi Joseph P. Weinberg, which will be dedicated in the spring. Rabbi Weinberg was the Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation when the memorial park was conceived but sadly did not live to see the cemetery come to fruition. Dozens of additional generous donors are supporting the project by dedicating rooms and components of the 6,000 square foot building. Levin/ Brown & Associates of Baltimore, MD designed 1the building, and Eichberg Construction of Rockville, MD is the general contractor. The Garden of Remembrance is located at 14321 Comus Road, Clarksburg, MD 20871. For additional information, call 301-428-3000 or visit www.gardenofremembrance.org. Additional information on the historic building can be found at https://synagoguesofthesouth. cofc.edu/synagogues/washington-d-c-washington-hebrew-congregation-8th-street-temple-1898/. Continued from Page A10 @Nomis.Publications Like us on 1-888-792-9315 • mymortuarycooler.com Scan QR for our website Cots not included MODEL # TR3 Triple Cot Roll-In Mortuary Cooler AMC N W FAST SHIPPING BY 12/31 ON SELECT PRODUCTS
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