Our History

The O'Donnell firm was sold to the Sumpter family in 1929 and was operated by Arnold and Marie Sumpter, joined by their son Richard in 1939. Richard succeeded his father upon Mr. Sumpter's death in 1942 and operated a partnership with his mother until his death in 1964. Richard's wife, Alice Britton Sumpter and his mother, Marie Becker Sumpter operated the firm until Alice's death in 1969 when her interest in the firm was sold to Dan Belden, Jr. Belden acquired the second half upon the death of Marie Sumpter in 1973.

James Sexton, 6th President of KFDA, in 1902, was the son-in-law of J.B. Davis and continued the Davis firm. Advertising himself as the "successor to J.B. Davis." Later, other members of the Davis family established a second Davis Undertaking Company about 1904, using the Davis name; Sexton had begun using his own name earlier. Sexton's was operational until 1916 under the direction of James W. Sexton and was carried on by his widow until 1926 when the firm closed. His son, Ted L. Sexton, a teenager when his father died, served apprenticeship under his uncle, J.C. Davis and continued in his employment until February 4, 1934 when he opened his own firm in the present location at Fifth and Oak Streets. During the remodeling of our building in 1975, we discovered notes on the wall behind a prep room cabinet, "Sexton Funeral Chapel opened business Feb. 4, 1934; $20,000.00 in debt; received our first call at 4 PM the same day."

Sexton Funeral Chapel was operated by the family following Ted's death in 1958. Ted L. Sexton was a popular political figure in Leavenworth, serving six terms as Mayor; he also was an active inventor and tinkerer, developing a patented body lifter and a cellophane casket cover and manufactured both in the loft above the chapel for a number of years.

After the death of Mrs. Ted Sexton, their son, expressing a desire to keep the firm active and the name in use, sold the business to Dan Belden, Jr. and the firm name was changed to include the new owner's and to keep the two older firms in use. Belden was a graduate of Creighton University, Omaha and Indiana College of Mortuary Science and served as the 83rd President of the KFDA and also twice appointed to the State Board of Embalming.

On display at the Ft. Leavenworth Museum is a horse-drawn hearse donated by the James Sexton family in 1919.