Brian Earle CusterGarden Plain, KS

Brian Earle Custer, 58, passed away on October 5, 2026 after facing cancer the same way he faced life: as a warrior, with courage, determination, faith, and an unwillingness to quit.

Brian was born November 18, 1967, in Hof Saale, Germany, to Robert Custer and Nancy (Menzel) Cleaton. Over the course of his life, Brian became many things: a husband, father, soldier, pilot, business owner, storyteller, loyal friend, and a man whose presence was impossible to miss.

For 31 years, Brian was married to Kristy (Ayres) Custer, and there was nothing in his life of which he was more proud than his family. Together, Brian and Kristy raised their three children, Christian, Peyton, and Keaton. Brian loved his family fiercely and was extraordinarily proud of his wife and children. To his kids, their dad was unstoppable, invincible, and larger than life. In many ways, he truly was.

Service to his country was a defining part of Brian's life. Over a remarkable 36-year military career, he served in the United States Air Force, Kansas Air National Guard, and Kansas Army National Guard, ultimately retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Being a soldier was not simply something Brian did; it was an essential part of who he was. He believed deeply in service, duty, loyalty, and taking care of the people beside him.

Brian also built careers as an airline pilot and was the owner of Killbox CrossFit. Two careers that fit a man who was not especially known for sitting still.

But the things Brian did were never as important as the way he made people feel. Brian brought the fun.

He was a gifted storyteller who could make people laugh without ever needing to make someone else the target of the joke. He was a harmless prankster, completely willing to be silly, willing to dance, and always ready to make sure everyone around him felt included in the fun. He loved CrossFit, music, movies, and spending time with his family. What made Brian laugh? Life itself.

Brian was, at his core, the epitome of Faith, Family, and Fun. He loved his friends loyally, his country proudly, and his family beyond measure. If you were one of his people, you knew it. He would show up for you, stand beside you, tell you the truth, make you laugh, and probably give you a hard time somewhere along the way.

He is survived by his wife, Kristy; his children, Christian, Peyton, and Keaton; his siblings, Craig Turley; Russell (Kayo) Custer; Michael (Jennifer) Custer; Donna (Darrel) Fuller; Elaine Gustainis; and a large circle of nieces and nephews, friends, fellow service members, pilots, CrossFit friends, and others fortunate enough to have been pulled into Brian's orbit.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack Bruner and Evelyn Zemitis, and his brother Albert Gustainis.

A Rosary will be held Friday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Garden Plain, followed by the Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Burial with military honors will follow at St. Anthony Cemetery. Afterward, everyone is invited to St. Anthony's Parish Hall for lunch, stories, laughter, and time together

Wulf-Ast Mortuary is handling arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Kansas Honor Flight in recognition of Brian's lifelong commitment to those who served.

Brian spent his life showing the people around him what it looked like to live fully–to serve, to love fiercely, to laugh loudly, to be loyal, and to show up.

His family will miss countless things about him, but perhaps most of all, they will simply miss his presence.

Because when Brian Custer was in the room, you knew it.

And the room was always better for it.

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