Elmer G. Fangman, 90, was born in Seneca/Axtell Kansas on January 28, 1935, and died on October 8, 2025.

Mass of Christian burial will be on Monday , October 13, 2025, at 10:30 am at St. Benedict Church in Atchison with burial to follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery. A rosary will be on Sunday, Oct. 12th at 3:00 p.m. at St. Benedict Church with visitation to follow until 5:00 p.m.

The son of Paul and Florence Fangman, he grew up on the farm outside of Seneca and started working it at age 7, driving horses plowing the fields at age 12. He was educated in Wildcat, spending grades 1-8 in a four room schoolhouse.

He attended Maur Hill Prep as a boarding student and graduated in 1953. He started at St. Benedict's College in 1953. Considering the priesthood, he moved into St. Benedict's Abbey monastery to begin his novitiate on July 11, 1955. He withdrew for health reasons but remained a lifelong friend of the Abbey. He took time off during college to work in bridge construction and in the elevator at Lincoln Grain. In 1958 he graduated from St. Benedict's College with a degree in political science.

On May 30, 1959, he married Anne E. Supple of Atchison, a graduate of Mount St. Scholastica College. He loved Anne and valued her strength and insight throughout their married life as they raised nine children together. They moved to Dodge City, Kansas, where he taught Political Science, English and Religion at St. Mary of the Plains High School during the 1959-1960 school year.

He served in and earned an Honorable Discharge from the Kansas National Guard in September of 1960.

Elmer taught Citizenship and Social Studies at Central Jr. and Sr. High School in Lawrence, KS during the 1960-1965 school years. He was so appreciated by his students that they secretly ran a county-wide campaign and elected him as Constable of Douglas County, complete with badge and handcuffs.

In the evenings and summers of 1960-1964, he studied and earned a Master's of Science in Education and Counseling from the University of Kansas while he and Anne also were growing their family to include 5 children. During that time, he also served in the United States Army for six months and earned an Honorable Discharge in July, 1963 as an E4.

In the 1965-67 academic years he designed the counseling program and operated as the only guidance counselor for 800 students at Northgate School in Kansas City, MO. During the summers of those 1966 and 1967 years he worked as an employment counselor for the Missouri State Employment Service.

Elmer was one of 30 selected out of 1200 applicants for a National Defense Education program designed to educate Deans of Students at the University of Missouri due to an influx of students into higher education nationally. From 1967 to 1970, he and Anne lived in Columbia, Missouri where he was a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Missouri. Elmer completed all the course work and exams for his Doctor of Education degree in counseling and student personnel services in 1967-1969.

In 1968, he was appointed an Instructor on the academic staff, an Assistant to the Dean and an Academic Advisor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. He was elected to the University's chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. As part of his work, he was engaged with the programs of 3,800 undergraduate education students.

Through the years of his PhD program, he and Anne's family grew to 8 children. As he was beginning his dissertation he was recruited back to St. Benedict's College for the position of Dean of Students and felt it was more important to return to Atchison in 1970 and help St. Benedict's College as Dean of Students and to assist in the coming merger with Mount St. Scholastica College. As a result, he sacrificed the completion of his PhD in the service of Benedictine College and in earning enough to support his family.

During the 30 years between August of 1970 to his retirement in August of 2000, Elmer held the position of Dean of Students and later also of Vice President of Student Affairs. It is hard to encapsulate his contributions to the life of the college but at various times, his responsibilities included counseling, all athletic programs, all college facilities, financial aid, student activities, health services, career planning and placement, intramural programs, foreign student programs, student publications and housing. In addition, in 1982, he was selected as Administrator of the Year at Benedictine College. He raised the money and sponsored the first Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) program on a college campus. FOCUS has grown to over 210 campuses at this point.

Upon retirement in 2000 he became a licensed professional counselor at All-Faiths Counseling Center.

He was a founding board member of Atchison Achievement Services and helped spearhead the mainstreaming of Down Syndrome children into the Atchison Public Schools. Recognitions of his service to others included the Kansas Monk Award from Benedictine College and the Lumen Vitae Medal from St Benedict's Abbey.

He was a steady hand through years of tumult and a sought after advisor and confidant of many. His life's vocation were his family, his faith and the success of all members of the Benedictine family, with a special attention to the thousands of students he helped shepherd. His life was one of service to others.

Elmer is survived by his children, Dan (Dolly) Fangman, Joan (John) Schuster, Mike (Nancy) Fangman, Susan (Craig) Husting, Paul (Doug) Fangman, John (Jo) Fangman, Colleen (Les) Hubble and Matt (Kathy) Fangman. In addition, he is survived by 24 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers, Lester (Janet) and John (Fran) and sister, Janie (Joe) Werner. Preceding him in death are his wife, Anne E. (Supple) Fangman and their daughter, Patricia Fangman. Also preceding him in death are his parents and his siblings, Charles, Gilbert, Leonard, Ruth (Haug) and Sr. Esther Fangman.