Belden-Larkin Funeral Home | Funeral & Cremation Services for Leavenworth, KS

Who We Are

Our staff of professionals has years of experience caring for families from all walks of life. Each comes to us because we are leaders in our profession, with dedication to service and professional integrity.

Our History

Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home was incorporated in 1936. Prior to Seaside incorporating, the area was known as the Aberdeen community, which was a farming community outside of Corpus Christi proper. The small cemetery was approximately three to four acres in size and it was not unusual for the cemetery to be surrounded by cotton or grain. The oldest known burial is in the Aberdeen Section dating to early 1900. Currently, Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home cares for 27,000 burials and entombments.

W.R. Reid purchased the cemetery in 1938. Mr. Reid was a businessman and had other ventures throughout Texas. By establishing Corpus Christi heritage and legacy of its citizens, Mr. Reid's experience set a new era for the Corpus Christi area. His improvements to Seaside included: paving the cemetery roads, pre-planning sales, mausoleum property, granite and bronze memorials, as well as memorials that would honor veterans and reflect our faith(s).

Two of the most noted additions to the cemetery were the construction of the Reid Mausoleum Chapel in 1962, and the construction of the Seaside Funeral Home in 1979. Although Mr. Reid spent many years planning the Funeral Home, he passed away a few years prior to its completion.

During the mid-eighties to the early nineties, Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home would become a full service Memorial Park by adding the only crematory in the city of Corpus Christi, a garden mausoleum, a flower shop and additional cemetery sections.

In 1993 Seaside continued its legacy of family-owned proprietorship with the transfer of ownership to four local families: Mintz, Nuss, Cottingham, and Zane. To reassure that Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home would continue to provide the highest quality services to the area and its citizens, the owners created a management team also with roots in Corpus Christi.

Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home continues to grow by expanding its product selection, educating its staff in current trends, and providing special pre-planning packages and discounts. Through the vision and commitment of our professional staff, we also are committed to sponsoring community programs that honor our loved ones, remind of us of our cultural and personal heritage, and celebrate life.

The legacy of Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home has continued by the construction of a new location: 2409 Baldwin Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas. Our other facility is named the Corpus Christi Funeral Home. Naming of the funeral home is in honor of the families in Corpus Christi that have entrusted their loved ones to us for over 60 years.

Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home belongs to several related associations. We are members of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association, National Funeral Directions Association, Texas Funeral Directors Association, Texas Cemetery Association, and Cremation Association of North America. Having membership in these associations allows Seaside Memorial Park and Funeral Home the ability to offer the very best Funeral Directors, Family Counselors, Pre-Planning Counselors, and Cemeterians to the community of Corpus Christi.

Our Valued Staff

Vince Kavanaugh, Management Partner

a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. He graduated from Mortuary College in Kansas City, Kansas. Prior to joining Belden Larkin Funeral Home, he served in the communities of Sioux City, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Wichita, Kansas.

He currently holds licensure in Nebraska and Kansas, and is a National Board Certified Funeral Director and Embalmer.
Jason Wiley, Funeral Director

He graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College in July of 2007. Jason is originally from St. Louis, relocating to Kansas City in 1998. He gained knowledge in management by managing and aiding in the opening of several restaurants in the area. After experiencing the loss of a loved one in his own family and having an uncle in the business, he felt compelled to enter the funeral profession. He is an avid St. Louis Rams and Cardinals fan and finds serving the community of Leavenworth very rewarding.
Ray Rodriguez, Ambassador

born and raised in Leavenworth and has been with the firm for over 2 years assisting with visitations, funerals and whatever else is asked of him. Ray has worked full-time with State of Kansas for 5 years as a Senior Administrative Assistant in the Child Support Enforcement Legal Division.He is a member of the St. Joseph / Immaculate Conception Parish, Knights of Columbus (3rd degree) and the Men's Auxiliary to the VFW. He has been married to Connie (Shipman) Rodriguez, who is the manager of the local Discount Carpets store, for 25 years and they have 5 children and 6 grandchildren. Ray enjoys assisting the families we serve and knows what it takes to be a caring and understanding person at a time when families need compassionate service.
Frank Geib, Ambassador

a native of Leavenworth. He served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning to Leavenworth he began a career with the Government retiring from the US Army Combined Arms and the Combat Development at Ft. Leavenworth, KS as a Mangagment Analyst in January 1988. Three months later he began a new and different career as a member of the Entertainment staff with the Royal Viking Cruise Line for six years. In May of 1994 he began working at the Barnett-Larkin-Brown Funeral Home, now Belden-Larkin Funeral Home, in both capacities as a part-time and full-time employee. He has been a member of the Carriage Services Corporation Team since it's inception, Mar 31, 1997. Frank has worked in a variety of different positions, from Administrative Specialist, After-Care Coordinator, Family Services Coordinator, Assistant Funeral Director and as a Pre-Arrangement Counselor. Frank is married to Gini and they have 2 grown children.
Gary Mattingly, Ambassador

a longtime native of Leavenworth.He graduated from Lakewood High School in Hebron, OH. He served in the US Army from 1963-1967. Gary worked at the Newark Air Force Station from 1967-1974 in Newark, OH. He retired from the Fort Leavenworth Fire Department as the Assistant Fire Chief in 1994 after 20 years of service. After retirement and pestering his wife, Angela for 3 years, she put him back to work at the Oaks Golf Course where he worked as head grounds keeper for 10 years. He as an active and longtime member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Leavenworth and is a 3rd and 4th degree Knight of Columbus. He married Angela M. (Hund) on November 5, 1966. They have 3 children, Gary, Michael and Barbara and 5 grandchildren.
Robert Hudson, Ambassador

Robert is the newest member of the Belden-Larkin Funeral Home Staff. He will be sharing his biography in the near future.