Elmer Karstensen, 91, of Leander, died Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Cedar Park. He was born in 1934, in Lincolnville, KS, the son of the Rev. Karl J. and Ernestine Westphal Karstensen. He was baptized by his father at St. John Lutheran Church, Lincolnville on May 27, 1934.
On his 6th birthday the family moved to Haven, KS, where he attended St. Paul Lutheran elementary school and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in March 1948. He attended Haven Rural High School, graduating in 1952. He was a member of the debate team. While in high school he learned the printing trade at the Haven Journal.
After high school he enrolled in journalism at Kansas State University and joined Beta Sigma Psi, national Lutheran fraternity. He served on the K-State Collegian staff as a reporter, day editor and photographer. A notable photo was a portrait of "Touchdown", The K-State wildcat, in full roar with no bars between us.
He graduated from K-State in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a commission as a second lieutenant of infantry in the US Army. After working at the Cheney, KS Sentinel for several months he entered active duty as a basic training officer at Ft.
Jackson, SC.
Returning to civilian life in 1959 he was employed at the Beatrice, NE Daily Sun as reporter, photographer and farm editor and joined the Nebraska National Guard. A notable news story from that time was heavy fire damage to the Gage County courthouse. While working in Beatrice he met and married Bernice Fry in 1960.
Moving back to Kansas he worked at the Sentinel in Cheney and joined the Kansas National Guard. He and Bernice adopted their sons, Brian and John, while living in Cheney. In 1968 he was recalled to active duty and served at Ft. Carson, CO, before transfer to Viet Nam.
He was assigned as Chief of Command Information at Army Headquarters in Long Binh, supervising all in-country Army publications.
Returning stateside on Thanksgiving Day 1969 he began work for the City of Wichita, KS, as an assistant to the city manager and about seven years later as general manager of the mass transit system known as "The Bus". He earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs from Wichita State University.
Retiring from the City he worked for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita as business manager where he met a very special teacher, Linda Reichenau. They were married July 29, 1989, at Holy Cross in front of the excited students Linda had taught. In 1988 he moved to Topeka, KS, and Linda joined him there. He worked as business manager and Church Extension Fund manager for the Kansas District, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and later as Lutheran Church Extension Fund Vice President for Kansas.
Claiming he had worked in two centuries Elmer retired in January 2000 and worked part-time for a service agency, the Community Resources Council, in Topeka until he and Linda returned to her native Texas where they bought a home in Leander.
Other than a broad career in journalism, military and management he loved his church and his family and served as the historian for the Karstensen family including his 15 cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Brian; grandson, Jonathan; and a brother, Karl.
Survivors are his wife, Linda; son, John; granddaughters, Ashley Karstensen and Heather (Rick) Favila; grandson, Jarrett Adams and his mother, Katy; great-grandchildren, Adalynn, Carter, Ridley, Eryx and Maeve; and a dearly loved extended family of Karstensens in Kansas and Reichenaus in the Hill Country of Texas.
Graveside services will be held at 11 AM, Thursday, July 30, 2026, at Garden of Memories Cemetery.
Memorial services will be held at 11 AM, Saturday, August 1, 2026, at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 17000 Smyers Ln., Round Rock, TX 78681. A light lunch will be served afterwards.