Kevin Kirby has been Warren County’s coroner for years and owns J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Chapels and Crematory. He is involved in the community, including helping raise funds for the American Diabetes Association.

How did your family become involved in the funeral home business?

My dad back in the days after he got out of World War II – he was in Army Air Corps – came back to Bowling Green. The family was a tenant farmer. … My dad would ride his bike into town where he worked as a soda jerk. Somebody told him he’d make a good funeral director. He thought about it and went around town to the funeral homes … and Louis Satterfiled hired my dad and he served as an apprentice. He worked there until it was bought out. Dad decided he wanted to go out on his own. Dad approached Clifty Raymer and a local individual loaned my dad the money to purchase the business. That first year it was Kirby-Goodrum. But Carlene Goodrum was a homebuilder and worked at the post office, so after the first year he said that he couldn’t do all of it. The partnership dissolved, but our families remained close. In 1962, it became J.C. Kirby and as a young child I knew in some way I would be involved. I wasn’t interested in school. I always told my teachers let me go to the funeral home and my dad will teach me what I needed to know. I always wanted to be in the funeral home business and knew I eventually wanted to buy my dad out and grow the business. My dad came to me when I was 29 and said he wanted to sell the funeral home. … I was scared to death. (Wife Lynn and) I bought the corporation and leased the building until we could buy it. … My daughter Kaitlyn Kirby Clark works with me now. But I would never change the name. He worked really had for it. … I’m 60 years old now and I’m beginning to bury some of my friends. It’s getting really tough.

What is the most important thing you can do for families dealing with a loss?

Listen to them and provide them what they need and not try to give them something they don’t need. You need to keep some distance but be available if they need you. Last thing you can do on this earth for them is to do a service and leave good memories for the family.

Some funeral homes are doing really elaborate services and viewings, almost like a party. Do you see a place for that, and what does the Bowling Green market want?

It’s been going on a long time. I have a service today where there will be a brass band. We’ve done services on farms and individual places people like. People have changed and they are more mobile so that is being reflected. We had a guy a little while back where he had just refurbished a tractor and we used it to pull a horse-drawn hearse. I knew the man personally and know he would have loved it. We’ve used firetrucks, wreckers and old antique pickup trucks. Going into a cemetery, a local company brought out track hoes and raised buckets for an arch. Few years ago, I sent our employees to life appreciation training … so they can find out what families really want.

People often note the dry humor of an “undertaker.” Can you tell some funny mortuary stories without naming names?

People who know me know that I have anything but a dry sense of humor. I’ve seen a lot of different things happen. One day at Broadway I told them to open the back door and roll out the casket. I went out there and no one was around. They had all crunched up into the hearse like they would be able to pull the casket in. … One time I drove up to the cemetery and a couple of graves had the same names on them. One of the family members said ‘Hey, Kevin, they dug up the wrong grave. That’s my grave.’ They thought it was hilarious. He then asked me if he would be charged again to open up the grave a second time when he died. I’ve had a few jokes pulled on me. A family wanted taps played and back in the day I could play a little. I got a phone call from a general begging me to play. I stayed up half the night practicing. We go out to the cemetery and I … hit just a bit of a sour note. I saw them laughing and one of them said “Uncle Tom” over there is the general who called you last night. They all got a good laugh out of that.

What is the coroner’s job in a city the size of Bowling Green and how does it differ from say Louisville or Lexington or larger cities in other states?

Same here, but there may be difference in volume. We take pride in being able to find things out whether it is a homicide or something else. Bowling Green is a very diverse community and we deal with that. We will do 500 or 600 cases a year, probably the third biggest in state. There is a great commitment of all our agencies working together. We work through a scene together.

What does being a grandpa mean to you?

I love it. I have eight grandchildren, ranging from a senior down to 5 months, and four children. I love seeing them coming but love seeing them going, too. I enjoy doing things with them. Took them all bowling the other night … and I had a ball. It is nice to have family time. Some families have cousins who don’t know cousins so it is nice to be able to do that. We have family night every two weeks. All of them (but the branch who live in Florida) come and we have a nice meal together and just talk.

What was the coolest Christmas gift you have ever given or received?

That’s a tough one there. I guess the coolest thing I’ve given is that I have done some things for people who needed them. I like that. The neatest thing that I have ever received was my wife sent me to a driving school last year that I really liked. She said she had never seen my smile as much as I did for that. … I was getting up to speeds over 120 mph. I’ve always liked cars and used to race them.

— If you have a suggestions for Talk of the Town, call Robyn Minor at 270-783-3249 or email rminor@bgdailynews.com.