Our History
For more than eighty years, our facility has been serving the Greenwood County community providing care, compassion and guidance for individuals in their time of need.
Lyle C. Baird
Our facility began in September 1934 as Baird Funeral Home owned and operated by Lyle C. Baird of Eureka. Mr. Baird had come to Eureka in 1922, from La Junta, Colorado, with his wife, Verda, to operate the furniture department of the Evans Hardware and Furniture Company. On their way from Colorado they stopped in Kansas City to purchase a new hearse and furniture for the "undertaking department." The furniture and mortuary business separated in 1934, allowing Baird to build a new facility from a remodeled residence at our current location at 2nd and Oak Streets. Mr. Baird was a native of Malvern, Iowa and a veteran of World War I. Mr. Baird died on February 11, 1958. (Photo taken September 15, 1934)
Baird, Leila Mae. "Lyle C. Baird." The History of Greenwood County, Kansas. Ed. Greenwood County Historical Society. Wichita, Kansas: Kelly Wright, Josten's Publications, 1986. 121. Print.
Francis Campbell
Francis Campbell purchased the funeral home from Elmer Wedelin in July of 1962. At first he operated the funeral home as Baird-Campbell funeral home but eventually changed the name to Campbell Funeral Home. He brought about a complete remodel and expansion of the funeral home into its current structure. Campbell operated the funeral home for thirty years and was still one of the most respected members of the community for many years after his retirement. Francis passed away on September 5, 2015. (Photo taken 1974) In 1992, the funeral home was sold to the Kelley family, who owned and operated the Campbell-Kelley Funeral Home until 2002.
Clasen, Richard "Dick". "Funeral Home Changes Hands." The Eureka Herald [Eureka, Kansas] 1 Aug. 2002. Print.
Jayme & Sheila Koup
Current owner, Jayme Koup, began working for Campbell-Kelley in 1995 and
continued to do so until 2002. At that time, Jayme, his wife, Sheila,
and his mother, Norma purchased Campbell-Kelley Funeral Home to open
Koup Family Funeral Home. The Koups replaced the carpet and furniture
and began to bring the funeral home into the digital age. Norma passed
away July 19, 2012. Jayme and Sheila, with two of their children,
continue to operate the business today. (Photo taken July 20, 2010)
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Jayme A. Koup Funeral Director / Embalmer
AS in Mortuary Science from Kansas City Kansas Community College 1995
After working for the previous owner for seven years, Jayme, together with his wife, Sheila, and Norma Koup (his mother who is now deceased), purchased the funeral home in August of 2002. When he isn’t working as a funeral director/embalmer, Jayme enjoys spending time working at home raising chickens. In addition, he maintains a yearly garden and orchard where he grows fruits and vegetables, which he subsequently cans. Also an avid woodworker, one can often find Jayme working in his shop on a woodworking project. He and Sheila have three children and six grandchildren. Much of their time is spent enjoying family. -
Sheila E. Koup Bookkeeper
Sheila Koup serves as Vice President and bookkeeper for the funeral home. She is responsible for payroll and accounting, as well as purchasing. In addition to her role at the funeral home, Sheila is a high school English teacher. Together with Jayme, she has one son and two daughters. They also have six grandchildren who provide countless hours of fun and enjoyment.
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Matthew W. Thompson Assistant Funeral Director / Monument Specialist
Contact Person – Greenwood County All Veterans’ Memorial
Upon purchase of the funeral home, our son Matthew began working for the funeral home as an assistant funeral director. Matthew is currently working on obtaining his funeral directors/embalmers license. In addition, he maintains the account for the Greenwood County Veterans’ Memorial and manages all additions to the wall. He is married to Trystan, and they have two sons, Indy and Liam. When he isn’t working at the funeral home, Matthew spends his time at Boy Scout and Cub Scout events and enjoying family and friends. -
Sherry L. Stapleford Office Manager
Our office manager, Sherry Stapleford, began working for Koup Family Funeral Home in March of 2015 and has already proven herself to be a valuable asset to the firm. As the office manager, Sherry stands on the front lines ready to assist anyone who might need it. She works side-by-side with the funeral directors in arranging and directing funerals, handling phone calls, greeting visitors at the door, maintaining the organization of the office, generating notices and folders, making various deliveries, and anything else we might need. Prior to her employment with the funeral home, Sherry spent much of her adult life working in the pharmaceutical industry as a Certified Pharmacy Technician. She is married to David and they have two daughters and four grandchildren, all of whom bring great joy to their lives.
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Kodi M. Koup Funeral Director's Assistant
When she is not working as a full-time student at Kansas State University pursuing a degree in Family Studies and Human Services in the field of Gerontology, Kodi spends her summers working at the funeral home as a Funeral Director’s Assistant. Her role includes helping arrange and direct funerals, fielding phone calls, answering the door, organizing the office, operating the computer, delivering notices, and anything else anyone might need.
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Lily the Cat Greeter
Lily showed up at the back door of the funeral home one morning and has been with us ever since. The missing part of her ear is from the notch done when she was spayed, a common practice with stray cats. You can probably find Lily on the rail by the main doors before and after services greeting everyone willing to acknowledge her.