John K. “Jack” Vanier, 94, a long-time supporter of Kansas State athletics, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.
“Jack was part of the very fabric of Kansas State University,” President Richard Linton said in a university announcement. “His vision, leadership, advocacy and philanthropy for both Kansas agriculture and our great university goes unmatched.”
Legendary K-Stater Jack Vanier has passed away at the age of 94.
“Jack was part of the fabric of Kansas State University. He will be greatly missed by so many.” – President Lintonhttps://t.co/jZy7GUCxxi#KState pic.twitter.com/qTQuFIPynC
— K-State (@KState) February 11, 2023
Jack Vanier and his wife Donna Vanier were inducted into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 after supporting K-State athletics for over 40 years.
“They [Jack and Donna Vanier] were among the largest contributors to the construction of Bramlage Coliseum, the press box at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the indoor practice facility, the expansion of the football weight rooms, and the football administration complex, which is named in their honor,” according to K-State Athletics.
Alongside his philanthropy at K-State, Jack Vanier was a former president of the Kansas Livestock Association.
According to the announcement, “His contributions to agriculture, the livestock industry, to Kansas State University and to all the organizations and people he touched are many and significant,” the Vanier family said. “But it was by living his life the way he did that marks the profound contribution Jack Vanier made to our greater society, the rural culture and a way of life worth preserving, that will stand out.”
He is preceded in death by his wife, Donna Lindsey Vanier, and is survived by sister Joyce Hale and brother Jerry Vanier of Kansas City; daughter Mary Vanier of Manhattan; daughter Dr. Marty Vanier of Manhattan and her stepchildren Katie (Kevin) Buehler, Kirsten (Nathan) Beemer and Kathy Krause; and son John K. Vanier II of Salina, his daughters Lauren Vanier and Sarah (Ryan) Geiger, John’s wife, Kim, and children Pallie (Bryan) Swartz, Landon Koehn, Jess Koehn, and Ty Koehn, Jake Mooney and Norah Mooney.
A funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, March 3, at Christ Cathedral in Salina. The family suggests memorial gifts to any of the following organizations: the Salina Community Foundation and the Meadowlark Hills Good Samaritan Fund in Manhattan. Memorials may be sent in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. 8th Street, Salina, Kansas 67401.
