‘Sister Wives’ Star Meri Brown Reflects on ‘Roller Coaster’ of Grief 3 Weeks After Garrison Brown’s Death

Meri Brown of Sister Wives is opening up about her journey through grief following the death of Robert Garrison Brown. 

In a recent social media post, the TLC star reflected on the loss of Garrison, who died on March 4, and her mother, Bonnie Ahlstrom, who died in March 2021. 

“Grief is a myriad of emotions,” Meri noted in the Instagram update, adding that everyone works through those feelings on their own timetable. 

Meri Brown calls grief ‘a universal human emotion’ 

​​”Today, March 26, marks 3 years since the passing of my beautiful mom, and 3 weeks since the passing of our sweet Garrison,” Meri wrote. 

Losing a loved one can trigger  “despair and anger, feelings of pain, or hopelessness,” said the reality TV personality. “It’s a universal human emotion and a natural response to loss.”

“Grief is also love, for without feeling the love, the pain of loss wouldn’t be so great,” Meri said. “Grief sends you on a roller coaster of emotions, never knowing the twists and turns ahead, whether you’re headed into an upturn or a free fall.”

“Grief is not linear. There’s no timeline or rulebook to follow. It’s not the same for any two people, and no two people handle it in the same exact way,” she added. 

The ‘Sister Wives’ star reflects on the loss of Garrison, her mom, and her siblings

Garrison, who was the son of Kody Brown and Janelle Brown, died by suicide in early March. He was one of 18 children Kody shared with his four wives, who included Meri. Meri’s mother died suddenly three years ago. Several of her siblings have also died: Teresa in 2006, Marc in 2015, and Adam in 2023.  

Each of those deaths “is individual and has a unique timeline of manageability,” Meri noted. 

“Having lost to death both parents, three siblings, and now one of our boys, I recognize my coping mechanisms,” she went on to say. “I recognize when I need to go inward and be alone, letting the grief move through me as I cry alone into my pillow. I recognize when I need to surround myself with my trusted people to gather strength from them. I recognize when I need to attempt, in some small way, a semblance of normalcy. In each step, it takes a little bit of bravery to recognize and give that gift to myself.”

Every person’s “timeline” of grief is different, she added, and there’s no right or wrong way to go through the process. 

“Life will never go ‘back’ to normal after a loss, that particular ‘normal’ will never be again,” Meri said. “But it will go forward. It always moves forward.” 

“What will you do to honor the love and the relationship with the person you lost?” she asked. 

“For me, I will remember and celebrate the good times and beautiful memories,” Meri concluded. “I will honor myself and feel the grief when it arises because it inevitably will. But most importantly, I will live, and I will love every day of that living!”

How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.

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