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About

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory dates back to 1836, when Henry Brown founded H.J. Brown Coffin House in Raleigh. We are, in fact, closing in on 200 years of service excellence. Ours is the oldest business in the city and the oldest funeral home in the state. For six generations, we've worked hard to care for Raleigh’s families in unique ways.

Personalized funerals and memorials

Lobby at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home & Crematory We are a part of a growing and progressive company in one of the most vibrant communities in the United States. We offer the kinds of personalized funeral services and celebration of life ceremonies today's families want. Our professional, compassionate funeral home team is here to create an event that celebrates the details of your loved one's life—and to take care of your family as if they were our own.

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory offers traditional religious services, visitations and catered receptions before or after funerals or cremations. The Wynne Center is the largest celebration of life facility in the Raleigh area. Equipped for all gatherings of all sizes, it can accommodate everything from a breakfast to a banquet meal to anything in between.

In addition, we can provide custom touches such as musicians, themed decor and much more.

Learn about our catering and reception offerings.

Cremation in Raleigh

Signature Dedication at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home & Crematory There are many options for cremation in Raleigh—and they're not all equal. We specialize in cremation services that honor loved ones in personalized ways, and families love our all-inclusive pricing. With a cremation viewing suite, expertise in scattering ashes and a friendly team who pays attention to every detail, we provide service that is second to none. Plus, we operate two private crematories.

More and more people are choosing cremation over traditional burial, but most aren’t familiar with the many options:

a cremation without a funeral or memorial service of any kind.
a funeral with your loved one present, followed by cremation.
a cremation followed by a scattering, cemetery memorialization or celebration of life—or all three.

If you're interested in cemetery placement, our sister cemetery, Raleigh Memorial Park, is among the prettiest in the area.

And for those who wish for something more momentous, Neptune Memorial Reef is an underwater cremation garden off the coast of Florida. A Celestis Memorial Spaceflight takes ashes into space for a little while or forever.

Veterans burial benefits

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to provide veterans with funerals befitting their service to our country. Our team is well-versed in military funeral honors and the burial benefits offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We can walk you through the requirements and ensure your veteran has a most dignified memorial.

Read about how we honor veterans and watch a video about our services.

Plan ahead for peace of mind

Chapel at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home & Crematory In addition to assisting with an immediate need, we specialize in working with families to plan final arrangements in advance. We recognize that funeral arrangements and associated expenses can be overwhelming. When you prepare ahead of time, you provide a sense of relief and comfort to your loved ones while ensuring your wishes are met. We offer in-person and virtual consultations, as well as a free Personal Planning Guide to help you get started.

Find out everything you need to know about prepaid funerals and cremations.

We're always here for you

As a member of the Dignity Memorial^® network, Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory gives you not only the warm, familiar attention you expect from a locally operated business but also the value you deserve. We invite you to call us for immediate assistance 24/7 or to learn more about planning ahead.

Reach out now.

History

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home & Crematory Henry J. Brown founded the H.J. Brown Coffin House in Raleigh in 1836. He'd operated the business for more than 30 years when, in 1868, he helped transfer 267 Confederate soldiers from Rock Quarry Cemetery to Oakwood Cemetery.

When Henry died in 1879, he left his well-respected funeral home to his son, John W. Brown, who became the first president of the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association. In 1915, Henry’s grandson, Fab Brown, brought motor-driven hearses to the business. This pattern of innovation is a hallmark of Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory to this day.

Relocations over the years

Brown-Wynne has grown along with Raleigh and the surrounding cities. The original building site was at the corner of Dawson and Morgan. The home moved to the corner of Hargett and Salisbury in 1889 and again in 1928 to Hillsborough Street.

In 1954, Robert W. Wynne Jr. built a new funeral home on the corner of St. Mary’s and North streets, which is where we are today. He also had the foresight to expand to Cary in 1969 and Millbrook in 1973.

185 years and counting

In 1991, Brown-Wynne became part of the Dignity Memorial family, North America’s largest network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. We added the Wynne Center in 2006 so that families could host large celebrations with our compassionate team at their side.

In 2011, Henry J. Brown was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame for his business leadership and contribution to our great city. Today, we're proud to continue to uphold his legacy, providing the finest services available anywhere.

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Amenities

Location

Flexible event space
Facility is available to host your personal events
Flexible chapel space
Our chapel can be used for hosting your religious events
Chapel
Piano or organ on-site
Pet friendly

Cremation

On-site cremation
Cremation remembrance jewelry
Private viewing before cremation
Option for home delivery of ashes
Option for mail delivery of ashes
Sent through postal mail service, signature required.
Scattering assistance

Service

Arrangements by phone or email
Complete funeral planning, including electronic signature, without needing a funeral home visit
Catered events
Large reception area
Event planning
Services available to support planning events
Funeral service video production
Services available to create a tribute video for the service or obituary from photos and videos.
Intimate gatherings
Meeting space
Space available for corporate and organization meetings
Black car service
Police escort available

Other

100% Service guarantee
Livestreaming of services
Ritual washing

How may we help you?

Plan Ahead

A Death Is Near

A Death Has Occurred

GET CUSTOM QUOTE

INCLUDES EVERYTHING YOU NEED:

Filing for death certificates
Securing burial permits
Helping with insurance claims
Giving guidance on Social Security survivors benefits

Every detail remembered

100% SERVICE GUARANTEE
If for some reason you’re dissatisfied with any aspect of your service, we’ll refund that portion of the service.
LIFETIME FLEXIBILITY
If you want to make changes to a prepaid plan, we are always available to discuss your options.
RELOCATION PROTECTION
Our prepaid plans are transferable to any of the qualifying Dignity Memorial providers in North America.