Our Staff

Meet Our Caring Staff

Meet our staff, members of the local community who make everything that happens possible.

Joseph Blecha

Joseph Blecha

Managing Funeral Director / Embalmer

Joseph is a Republic County native and started at Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home

and Tibbetts Bros., Inc., in May 2018. He is a Kansas and Nebraska licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer, earning his Mortuary Science degree from Des Moines Area Community College and completed his apprenticeship under Randy Paugh. Additionally, he is a licensed pre-need insurance agent in Kansas and Nebraska with Homesteaders Life Company, and assists families with designing and purchasing cemetery monuments and markers. He also serves families at our affiliate funeral homes Price-Urbauer-Ahrendts Funeral Homes of Thayer County, Nebraska, and Melby Mortuary in Mankato.


Joseph is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, serves on the St. George Catholic Cemetery board, and is President of the Republic County Historical Society and Museum. He is also a member of the Kansas Funeral Directors Association and National Funeral Directors Association. Prior to becoming a funeral director, Joseph worked as a Paramedic in Topeka and Kansas

City for a number of years, and he continues to serve his community as a part time Paramedic with Republic County EMS and Rescue.

Samantha Stensaas

Samantha Stensaas

Funeral Director / Embalmer

Samantha is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, pre-need counselor, a Certified Celebrant, and is working toward becoming a Certified Grief Educator. She has been serving the families of North Central Kansas through Tibbetts- Fischer Funeral Home, Melby Mortuary, and Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home since 2021.


Samantha has a deep passion for creating personalized services and supporting individuals through the grief process. She believes a healthy grieving experience begins with a meaningful funeral or memorial service. Her goal is to make people feel seen, heard, and supported-whether planning ahead or navigating a loss. 


She lives in Scandia with her two children and enjoys serving her community in a variety of ways including Community Club and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Randy Paugh

Randy Paugh

Affiliate Funeral Director / Embalmer

Randy Paugh, a native of Maryland, joined the staff of the funeral home in 1989 coming from the community of Courtland, Kansas. Randy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia and a Mortuary Arts degree from KCKCC, Kansas City. He holds both funeral director and embalmer licenses in Kansas and Nebraska.  Randy also serves the families of Franklin

County, Nebraska at Hutchins Funeral Home in Franklin.

Joshua Meyer

Joshua Meyer

President of Tibbetts Bros., Inc., and Affiliate Funeral Director / Embalmer

Joshua J. Meyer serves as President of Tibbetts Bros. Inc. and joined the staff of Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home in April 2001. He has been the manager of the Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home and its associated chapels since 2003. He attended Kansas State University and then mortuary school at Kansas City Kansas Community College with a degree in Mortuary Science. He completed his apprenticeship with Broadway Mortuary and continued to work there until he relocated to Concordia. He is married to the former Jamie Stroh of Belleville, Kansas.  Jamie is a math teacher at Concordia High School and also teaches College Algebra and Calculus as concurrent classes for Cloud County Community College. They have one

daughter, Madelyn, who is a 2nd grade teacher at Bergman Elementary School in Manhattan, KS. 


He is a member of Concordia Rotary Club, and served as club president in 2007-2008; a member and former board member of the Concordia Chamber of Commerce; a former board member for the Cloud County Community Foundation, he also served as the President on the Frank Carlson Library Board of Directors; a member of Cloud County Ducks Unlimited where he serves as the Chairman.  Joshua also volunteers with

the Cloud County Community College Foundation and the Annual Scholarship Auction, serving as the emcee for the past several years.  He is also a member of the Sons of the American Legion Post #76 and a

member of Concordia Golf & Wellness Golf Course in Concordia. He and his family attend the Concordia Lutheran Church where he served on the church council. 


He is a Past President of the Kansas Funeral Directors Association and the Legislative Committee Chairman for the association.  Additionally, he serves on multiple committees with the National Funeral Directors Association.  He enjoys playing golf, and hunting and is a registered basketball and football official with the Kansas State High School Athletics Association for the past 25 years. He believes that funeral service is a

calling and tries to live by this quote from Albert Schweitzer, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”

Kenton LeBlanc

Kenton LeBlanc

Affiliate Funeral Director / Embalmer

Kenton LeBlanc is the managing funeral director/embalmer of Melby Mortuary in Mankato, and funeral director/embalmer at Chaput-Bouy Funeral Home in Concordia.


He  joined Chaput-Buoy Funeral Homes in September of 2014, as a licensed funeral director/embalmer. He has been licensed in the State of Kansas since 1992. From 1991 to 1992 he served his apprenticeship under the direction of Jim Buoy at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home. Kenton also worked with Dean Frazier, Alec Chaput, John Chaput and Alexine Chaput.   Kenton also holds a Nebraska funeral director/embalmer license.


He has also worked as a sales representative for a national funeral supply firm The Dodge Company of Cambridge, MA. Prior to his sales position he was in the funeral service profession in Newton, Coffeyville, Lyons, and Kansas communities as well.


He was a Graduate of Clifton-Clyde H.S. 1984, NCKAVT School Auto Tech 1985, Attended Washburn University Fall of 1985, Cloud County Graduate 1990 and Kansas City Kansas Community College Graduate in 1991 receiving a Degree in Mortuary Science.


Kenton grew up in the St. Joseph community on the farm as well as his wife Stephanie.  They have a daughter, Becca and a son, Kollin.  Stephanie is a Teacher’s Aide at USD 224 at the Clifton Grade School. He enjoys, spending time with his family, golfing, hunting, carpentry, and mostly being outdoors.


He is a member of the KFDA, NFDA, NeFDA, Concordia Rotary Club, American Legion Post #76, VFW Post 7515, Ducks Unlimited.


Kenton and his family are also members of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Clyde and also serves on the Board of the Guardians of the St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Brittany Henderson

Brittany Henderson

Apprentice Funeral Director

Brittany is an apprentice funeral director and embalmer, and is a Kansas licensed Assistant Funeral Director. She began working at Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home in 2023, along with its affiliated locations, Melby Mortuary and Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home. She’s currently completing her apprenticeship in Kansas to become a licensed funeral director/embalmer and plans to earn her Nebraska license as well.


Outside of funeral service, Brittany also works part-time as an AEMT with Republic County EMS. Her background in funeral care and emergency response reflects her commitment to helping people during life’s most difficult times. Whether supporting families through a crisis or guiding them through loss, Brittany is honored to offer care with respect, dignity, and compassion.

McKenzie Widen

McKenzie Widen

Apprentice Funeral Director

McKenzie Widen is currently serving her apprenticeship to become a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in Kansas, as well as Nebraska. McKenzie graduated with a degree in mortuary science from Des Moines Area Community College in 2024.  She has been an excellent addition to the team with her aptitude for restorative arts, willingness to work hard, and fun-loving nature.


McKenzie is a lifetime Concordia resident and is honored to be able to serve her community and the families she has grown up around. When she is not working, McKenzie enjoys trap shooting, cooking, and most of all spending time with her dog, Rex.

Melissa Coonrod

Corporate Office Administrator

Melissa is from Belleville, and joined the staff of Tibbetts Bros. Inc., in 2022.

Amanda Jones

Amanda Jones

Administrative Assistant

Amanda is from Belleville, and joined the staff of Tibbetts-Fischer in 2024.

Tim Garman

Funeral Home Assistant

Tim is from Courtland, and has been working at Tibbetts-Fischer since 2013.

LeRoy Splichal

Funeral Home Assistant

LeRoy is from Munden, and has been working at Tibbetts-Fischer since 2009.

Jacob Wilber

Funeral Home Assistant

Jacob is from Belleville, and has been working at Tibbetts-Fischer since 2021.

Kalen Bebermeyer

Funeral Home Assistant

Kalen is from Belleville, and has been working at Tibbetts-Fischer since 2021.

Pastor Craig Roberts

Funeral Home Assistant

Pastor Craig is from Belleville, and has been working at Tibbetts-Fischer since 2022.

Shelley Kuhlman

Visitation Hostess

Shelley is from Belleville, and joined the staff of Tibbetts-Fischer in 2018. 

Elaine Coonrod

Visitation Hostess

Elaine is from Munden, and joined the staff of Tibbetts-Fischer in 2019.

LaVerna Huncovsky

LaVerna Huncovsky

Visitation Hostess

LaVerna is from Cuba, and joined the staff of Tibbetts-Fischer in 2024.