History & Staff

We have years of experience caring for families, from all walks of life. Each family comes to us because they know we are leaders in our profession, dedicated to excellence in service, and have the highest integrity.

Our History

Our History

J. P. Louis, whose son Archard Louis continued the operation after him, established Louis Memorial Chapel in 1916. The funeral home was first located in a storefront on Independence Avenue, then moved to 716 The Paseo and 3400 Woodland Avenue before moving to its present location at 6830 Troost Avenue in 1963. When Archard Louis died in 1956, his sons Stan and Jack took over the funeral home.

In 1970, Jack passed away and Stan's wife Christa joined him in the business. When Stan Louis decided to sell his business, he was particularly concerned about how the community would be served. He did not want to transfer his business to a corporate entity, worrying that a corporation could never give the service that a Jewish funeral director could. The purchase of the funeral home by the Epstein family ensured that the Jewish community of Kansas City could count on the same level of caring and service to which they had become accustomed.

Our Valued Staff

  • Henry L. Epstein

    Henry L. Epstein Owner

    Henry is the owner of the Louis Memorial Chapel, Kansas City, Missouri, the Epstein Memorial Chapel, Columbus, Ohio and the Hodroff-Epstein Memorial Chapels in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Henry began his career in funeral service in 1968.

  • Teri Bretz

    Teri Bretz Funeral Director

    Teri joined the family business after practicing periodontology for nine years. She and her husband Jason have two children, Halle and Evan.

  • Michael T. Epstein

    Michael T. Epstein

    Michael moved to Columbus, Ohio from St. Paul, Minnesota. in 1978, when his family purchased Snider Memorial Chapel. He graduated from Bexley High School, and attended the University of Minnesota, where he earned his Mortuary Science degree. He is a licensed funeral director in both the state of Ohio and Minnesota. Michael worked for Service Corporation International, in Minnesota and Georgia, before returning to the family business in 2000. Michael is married to Rebecca and they have three children.

  • Steve Reiter

    Steve Reiter Funeral Director - Chapel Manager

    Steve has been in the funeral service industry since 1990 and has been with The Louis Memorial Chapel since October, 2014. Steve took over as Chapel Manager in January of 2020. Steve and his wife Gina, have two grown sons, Austin and Cory.

  • Katybeth Hall

    Katybeth Hall Funeral Director

    Katybeth moved to Liberty, MO from Iowa in 2008 after graduating from Briar Cliff University where she obtained two bachelor degrees. She continued her education at Kansas City Kansas Community College where she received her Mortuary Science degree. Katybeth is a licensed funeral director in the state of Missouri. She gained experience working at funeral homes in the Kansas City area before joining The Louis Memorial Chapel in 2017. Katybeth and her husband Jesse have 2 sons, Makih and Marcellus and a daughter, Kanita.

  • Alana Schneider

    Alana Schneider Funeral Director

    Alana began her career in the funeral service industry in 2006. She earned her Mortuary Science degree in 2016 at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Joining in October of 2020, Alana is proud to be part of The Louis Memorial team.