The Fasbenders, a name that is as grand as the house they all reside in. Each member of their family is colorful and diverse, using their unique skills to paint upon the canvas of the world around them. The family consists of six total members. First, there’s Kirstin Fasbender and her husband Chris. Kirstin is 47 years old and never fails to make entire rooms light up with smiles when she’s around. She also works at Archer Credit Union in Central City and gets involved wherever she can. Chris is 51 years of age, and is a super community minded and oriented individual, always working around the clock to help support him and his family. He works outside the community at Friesen Ford Chevrolet, that is a massive step up from his previous job due to being able to see his family much more.

Van, the oldest of his two other siblings at 18, is a reserved but scholarly young man who’s always getting involved wherever he can. Fyn is the studious actor of the family at 15 years old, along with being described as a “movie buff” by both himself and those around him. Piper, who’s 13, is an active person, always wanting to be outside and would rather climb a tree than watch a movie. Lastly, the family’s dog Sheldon, a 6-year-old Boston terrier, is a faithful pet, companion, and professional carpet-ruiner.

The Fasbenders bond and spend time together in a number of ways including skiing, cruising around town in their car, and attending concerts together. Each year, the family always tries to go to Wyoming for skiing instead of a traditional Christmas. They all gave up the idea of the typical stockings and presents for a more active and memorable holiday, trading material gifts for experience-based ones. The family is also constantly active at the Central City Fitness Center helping themselves and each other remain healthy, while also having a fair share of fun.

Each member of the family possesses a list of accomplishments that’d make anyone nod their heads in respect. Van was his class’s president back when he was in high school, along with being the president of DECA. Additionally, during his first year attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney, he managed to become the Freshman Senator. Piper became Student of the Month twice and Fyn recently landed one of the main leads in Central City High School’s latest musical Anastasia as Dimitri. Even in middle school Fyn was hitting the musical scene, as he was lucky enough to be in the school’s production of Newsies. Just like his brother, he was elected Class President along with being an FFA Sentinel. Back in 2017, Chris won first place in the Waddell and Reed Cook-Off, and R-N Reporter Grant Brooks can vouch for Mr. Fasbender’s chili cooking skills.

The Fasbenders also have a foothold in the community as well. They can’t think of a local parade they haven’t been in through Archer Credit Union. Chris and Van are also figures in the city council, with Chris being a council member and Van formerly serving as an associate council member. Fyn also claims he’s the main reason there’s been an uptick in FFA numbers in recent years. Although there isn’t concrete evidence of this claim, there has been an increased presence in the FFA program since he’s been around. Their uniqueness as a family comes from their ability to remain comfy and cozy together while all being so different. The diversity in hobbies and lifestyles is quite vast, despite that they are all able to come together and get along in harmony.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned harmony wasn’t meant to last. The family was put through a difficult time when Chris needed open heart surgery, which was a very tough and harrowing time for them. The surgery went well and Chris is recovering nicely, but this period was a hard and uncertain one for the Fasbenders. Despite the experience, they all pushed though together, and remained resilient until the conflict was resolved.

Sticking with the theme of resilience, another one of the family experiences they partook in was a triathlon for Chris’ fiftieth birthday. Every member of the family managed to finish, despite the difficulty along with extremely stormy conditions during the event.

Kirstin and Chris “returned to their roots” in a way when they moved to Central City. They both grew up in Nebraska’s biggest cities, with Kirstin growing up in Lincoln and Chris in Omaha. Their parents grew up in small towns, so moving to Central City from a massive metropolis was poetic in a sense.

The Fasbenders are perfectly happy in their new home. Kirsten herself said she’s “Proud of everything going on in Central City”. They all have never regretted moving to Central City, and everyone around them shares the same sentiment.