Brown-Service Funeral Homes

Brown-Service Funeral Homes Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty National Life Insurance Company which provided burial services and merchandise to holders of Liberty National's burial insurance policies. The company, which had formerly provided home services insurance itself as the Brown-Service Insurance Company, was acquired in 1944 with the purchase of a $5 million share from principal owner Rufus Lackey.

Throughout its history Brown-Service subcontracted with independently-owned funeral parlors for the actual services. Customers using affiliated parlors received more complete services than those using non-affiliated parlors. Many of its affiliates were later acquired by Brown-Service. Later many former affiliates were purchased by national service providers.

Birmingham area locations

• Bessemer-Brown Funeral Home, 1300 4th Avenue North Bessemer
• Brown-Service Funeral Home West Chapel, 2885 Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive
• Brown-Service Funeral Home Norwood, 2300 block of 11th Avenue North
• Ridout's-Brown Service Southside Chapel, 2116 University Boulevard, owned by Service Corp. International
• Ridout's-Brown Service Elmwood Chapel, 800 Dennison Avenue Southwest, owned by SCI
• Ridout's-Brown Service Valley Chapel, 1802 Oxmoor Road, owned by SCI
• Ridout's-Brown Service Trussville Chapel, 1500 Gadsden Highway
• Ridout's-Brown Service Roebuck Chapel, 9012 Parkway East, owned by SCI
• Bolton Brown Service, Columbiana

Former area locations

• Medical Alumni Building, 811 20th Street South

References

• Samford, Frank P., Jr (1985) Torchmark Corporation: History of a New Company. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
• Edgar H. BATTLE, d/b/a Edgar H. Battle Funeral Home, et al. v. Liberty National Life Insurance Co. et al. (April 25, 1974) United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. 493 F.2d 39, 1974-1 Trade Cases 75,030
• Hansen, Jeff (February 29, 2004) "FTC's funeral rule aids planning in time of grief." Birmingham News