Carl and Terry Billey have long been familiar faces within Sayre. The couple married early in life. Terry graduated from Merritt High School, and Carl calls Reydon High School his alma mater.
They have served in many roles during their decades of living in Beckham County.
“I began as an apprentice with the Whinery Funeral home when I came over to the Sayre Junior College in 1983. Of course, it isn’t called that anymore, but that is how long we have been around,” Carl laughed.
Carl furthered his career in the funeral industry by receiving his degree as a funeral director from the University of Central Oklahoma. His wife has long been a Southwestern Oklahoma State University employee in Sayre.
“But, we have been each other’s partners in whatever work we were in,” Carl explained.
He later became the Director of Emergency Management in Roger Mills County. He spent thirty years as a funeral director but felt it was time for a change.
“I took that job in 2018,” Carl recounted. “And now it is time for something new. When I was still in that job in Cheyenne, my office was right across the road from their coffee shop. I kept thinking about how busy it always was. Cars were lined up all day. I also realized that Sayre didn’t have that.”
In January, the Billeys decided to put that play into motion.
They contacted Brandi and Barry Christian to inquire about renting their empty lot.
“They had also had the donut shop,” Carl explained. “They said, ‘No, take the building. We want someone in there that we can trust.’ So that is how we ended up inside there.”
Carl added, “We knew we wanted to have coffee, but we also wanted to do small-batch food services. This is the first time that I have ever gotten to work for myself, so we wanted to make it special. I am kind of a food guru. So when Terry said we should think about serving food, I told her she was in luck because I had over 400 recipes saved through the years. I am a good cook but have never been good at naming things. Terry knew how important being a first responder has been to me. I volunteered for the Sayre Fire Department for many, many years. I have volunteered with Team Rubicon, a group of volunteer funeral directors who respond to areas of major disasters. I helped when the Murrah Building was bombed, with hurricanes and floods. Whenever I had to go out, she was always there, ensuring I had everything I needed to go out. She said that the first thing she always does is make that pot of coffee. So, that is how she came up with First Response Coffee.”
Located at 401 NE Highway 66, First Response Coffee opened in February.
In addition to coffee, they serve baked goods and daily lunch specials.
“I have so many recipes saved that we only have a repeat special if it is popular. I also do all my barbecue. We try to source all of our food locally, so we ensure it comes from Sayre or Elk City, if we can. We like to keep our money local,” Carl said.
Lotus Energy drinks have been a surprise hit.
The decor in the business is dedicated to first responders. Carl is working on a wall of pictures of local veterans. In fact, he invites the community to bring down photographs of local active and retired military. They offer a 10% discount to all active and former military, police officers, EMS, and firefi ghters.
“I normally have to make them take the discount. But, of course, they don’t want it. First responders are humble people, but I tell them it isn’t their choice,” Carl laughed.
Carl says it is truly a labor of love and a partnership.
“We keep getting busier and busier, but we are still small. Terry helps me before she goes to work in the morning, and then she comes and helps me during her lunch break. We love serving our community,” Carl added.
The couple share two adult children.
Daily lunch specials can be found on their Facebook page.
