He was born on a farm in Indian Creek Township, Mills County, Iowa, the youngest of the 4 children of recent Canadian immigrants David and Elizabeth McCabe Fansher. He had been inspired at age 15 to become a minister after attending a tent revival meeting led by famous evangelist Billy Sunday. After graduating from Simpson College,in 1906, he obtained a graduate degree from the School of Theology at Boston University in 1909. One of his first "parishes" was as the Chaplain for Folsom State Prison in California. He met his future wife at a lecture at the University of Chicago while he was serving as an associate pastor for St James ME Church. He married Ella M. Russell May 1, 1913 and they moved to Leon, IA, the first of many small Iowa towns where the Rev. Fansher served as Methodist Church pastor.
He and Ella had 4 children - Guy Russell, Ruth Elizabeth, Harriet Ethel, and Francis Mae. Ruth died at age 7 and Ella passed away 5 months later. Rev. Fansher was able to keep his son Russell with him but reluctantly sent his young daughters to live with relatives in Chicago. He met the woman who would become his second wife, Lucile Ilene Snyder, when he was pastor of to the Methodist Church at GLidden, Iowa, where Lucile was the church organist. They married in 1927 and the family was reunited. He and Lucile had two more daughters, Evelyn and Marilyn.
He retired from the ministry at the age of 72 and lived the remainder of his long life in Indianola, Iowa, where he had served as Chaplain at Simpson College.
He and Ella had 4 children - Guy Russell, Ruth Elizabeth, Harriet Ethel, and Francis Mae. Ruth died at age 7 and Ella passed away 5 months later. Rev. Fansher was able to keep his son Russell with him but reluctantly sent his young daughters to live with relatives in Chicago. He met the woman who would become his second wife, Lucile Ilene Snyder, when he was pastor of to the Methodist Church at GLidden, Iowa, where Lucile was the church organist. They married in 1927 and the family was reunited. He and Lucile had two more daughters, Evelyn and Marilyn.
He retired from the ministry at the age of 72 and lived the remainder of his long life in Indianola, Iowa, where he had served as Chaplain at Simpson College.
He was born on a farm in Indian Creek Township, Mills County, Iowa, the youngest of the 4 children of recent Canadian immigrants David and Elizabeth McCabe Fansher. He had been inspired at age 15 to become a minister after attending a tent revival meeting led by famous evangelist Billy Sunday. After graduating from Simpson College,in 1906, he obtained a graduate degree from the School of Theology at Boston University in 1909. One of his first "parishes" was as the Chaplain for Folsom State Prison in California. He met his future wife at a lecture at the University of Chicago while he was serving as an associate pastor for St James ME Church. He married Ella M. Russell May 1, 1913 and they moved to Leon, IA, the first of many small Iowa towns where the Rev. Fansher served as Methodist Church pastor.
He and Ella had 4 children - Guy Russell, Ruth Elizabeth, Harriet Ethel, and Francis Mae. Ruth died at age 7 and Ella passed away 5 months later. Rev. Fansher was able to keep his son Russell with him but reluctantly sent his young daughters to live with relatives in Chicago. He met the woman who would become his second wife, Lucile Ilene Snyder, when he was pastor of to the Methodist Church at GLidden, Iowa, where Lucile was the church organist. They married in 1927 and the family was reunited. He and Lucile had two more daughters, Evelyn and Marilyn.
He retired from the ministry at the age of 72 and lived the remainder of his long life in Indianola, Iowa, where he had served as Chaplain at Simpson College.
He and Ella had 4 children - Guy Russell, Ruth Elizabeth, Harriet Ethel, and Francis Mae. Ruth died at age 7 and Ella passed away 5 months later. Rev. Fansher was able to keep his son Russell with him but reluctantly sent his young daughters to live with relatives in Chicago. He met the woman who would become his second wife, Lucile Ilene Snyder, when he was pastor of to the Methodist Church at GLidden, Iowa, where Lucile was the church organist. They married in 1927 and the family was reunited. He and Lucile had two more daughters, Evelyn and Marilyn.
He retired from the ministry at the age of 72 and lived the remainder of his long life in Indianola, Iowa, where he had served as Chaplain at Simpson College.
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