Manager, Funeral Director, Embalmer and Proprietor SCFDE 3572, NC FS3198

Anthony "A.J." Bracy, Jr. is a native of Camden, SC. A.J. grew up in Cassatt and down on King Street in Camden, South Carolina. He has numerous roots and ties to Kershaw and Sumter county. He would later move to Columbia and graduate from Spring Valley High School. A.J. holds an Associate in Arts, Associate in Occupational Studies in Funeral Service, Bachelor of Liberal Studies with Honors with minors in Christian Studies, Psychology and Business Administration, Master of Arts in Religion with Pastoral Counseling and a Masters of Divinity with Pastoral Counseling. A.J. completed his apprenticeship at a local funeral home and went on to work for several prestigious firms such as Job's Mortuary, Crawford Funeral Home, Collins Funeral Home, McEwen Funeral Service Charlotte Chapel and Thompson Funeral Homes. Prior to returning to Collins full time, A.J. managed Thompson Funeral Home at Greenlawn Memorial Park and Greenlawn Crematory. This location served a diverse clientele. In his role as a funeral director and manager, A.J. was able to serve numerous faith groups and communities such as: Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Korean Presbyterian, Presbyterian, Law Enforcement, Veterans and Humanistic services. He would later accept a position as Care Center Supervisor where he oversaw daily operations for four locations in the Columbia market and attended to the management of the staff and decedent care. In this role, he assisted with serving over 1400 families annually. A.J. is a certified crematory operator and has experience serving all faiths and ethnicities. In addition to funeral business, A.J. worked for BlueCross BlueShield of SC for ten years in several different positions from operations, customer service, compliance to learning and development. A.J. is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as a minister at Agape Church in Columbia, SC and was the first Youth Pastor of First Northeast Baptist Church. He is also active in the local community. AJ has served on the following community boards: Richland School District Two Education Foundation Board (Past President), Richland School District Two Discipline Task Force, RSD2 Superintendents Council, RSD2 Parental Improvement Council, Windsor Elementary PTO, Windsor Elementary School Improvement Council, Kershaw County Fine Arts Multicultural Committee, and Kershaw County Fine Arts Center Board of Directors. He is the father of Joshua Bracy. He and his wife, Cassandra, are members of Next Level Church and enjoy traveling.