Steven Kenneth Fulmer

Steven Kenneth Fulmer of Kansas City, MO passed from this life to his eternal reward in Heaven on Saturday, December 14, 2024, after a short but valiant battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.

Steve was born on January 13, 1954, in Abilene, KS, the son of Hallie and John Fulmer. During his youth, he attended Wamego High School, where he played basketball and ran track and cross country. For many years, he was the organist at the Belvue United Methodist Church. He graduated in 1972, after which time he attended McPherson College in McPherson, KS, from which he received his B.A. in Music, Piano Performance, in 1977.

Steve married LaDonna Voth of Hesston, KS on June 3, 1978. They had two sons together: Landon, born in 1981, who lives with his wife Lidiya and daughters Anna, Victoria, Emma, and Nadiya in Ave Maria, FL, and Drew, born in 1984, who lives with his wife Jeanie, son Noah, and daughter Lily in Hesston, KS. They later divorced.

Steve married Ladena Bartlow Fulmer of Kansas City, MO on September 29, 2010. Her son, Brett Gilliland, and daughter, Dayna Gilliland, both of Kansas City, MO were a part of his life until his death.

Steve was an excellent musician and teacher all his life. He played piano, organ, and trumpet at a professional level, and his senior recital for his college degree was mind-blowingly difficult. He taught music in schools all around the world including Hutchinson, KS; Herrington, KS; Moundridge, KS; Taichung, Taiwan; Salt Lake City, UT; Arvada, CO; and for the last 13 years he taught at Northland Christian Schools in Kansas City, MO. He also was a music minister in Buhler, KS. Generations of students learned under him, and many went on to become music teachers themselves, professional singers, musical theater professionals, music ministers, worship leaders, and literal rock stars. Over the years, his former students compiled four Billboard Top 50 songs, three Billboard Top 10 songs, two certified gold albums, one platinum album, three Billboard awards, and four Grammy nominations.

 Steve was also an excellent athlete and coach. He holds the forever record at Wamego High School in the 2-mile cross country race as this distance is no longer contested; his high school personal best in the track 2-mile was 9:59. He was a scholarship basketball player at McPherson College and was a talented enough baseball player to get a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds organization. In his first year as a head coach in any sport, he won a Kansas State softball championship at Herrington High School. He started the baseball program at Intermountain Christian School (Salt Lake City, UT). In their first year of competition, 1991, they went 1-11; in 1995, they made it to the state championship game. He coached Fath Christian Academy’s (Arvada, CO) boys basketball team to the state final four in 1999. He won multiple Missouri Christian School Athletic Association boys basketball state championships in the 2010s at Northland Christian School (Kansas City, MO).

 Steve was a passionate lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and Kansas Jayhawks. Indeed, he got to witness all of his favorite teams win multiple championships in his lifetime! His love of music was not only his profession, it was also his hobby. If a piano was available for playing, it wasn't long until Steve made it sound better than it had ever sounded before! He was a handyman who loved to buy a house in need of TLC and make it into a beautiful home through the sweat of his brow. He loved Christmas music, and smooth jazz was always on the radio! Steve also loved game nights with the family and spending mornings sipping coffee in the sunroom.

 Steve is survived by his wife Ladena, sons Landon and Drew, stepchildren Brett and Dayna (Amanda), daughters-in-law Lidiya and Jeanie, grandchildren Noah, Lily, Anna, Victoria, Emma, and Nadiya, sisters Connie (Harold) Fechter and Karen (Tim) Aiken, brother John, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Chester and LaVern Taylor, parents, and sister Kathy.

A memorial service will be held for Steve by family at Northland Christian School, 10500 Trailblazer Drive, Kansas City, MO 64155, at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

Steve will lie in state on Friday, December 20, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at Campanella & Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego. The family will welcome friends and loved ones for a visitation on December 21, 2024, from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM, followed by a funeral service starting at 10:00 AM, with Reverend Dr. Tony Mattia officiating at Campanella & Stewart Funeral Home at 4370 Salzer Rd, Wamego, Kansas 66547. Interment will take place in the Belvue Cemetery, Belvue, Kansas. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Northland Christian Education System via this link https://everloved.com/life-of/steven-fulmer/