Elma Servantez (Santillanes)

Elma Marie Servantez was born on November 19, 1947, in Torrington, Wyoming. On September 12, 2026, she peacefully left this world to go home to Heaven, where she was reunited with the family and friends who had gone before her.

Elma lived a life of service to others. Beginning in the early 1970s, she dedicated her career to the children and families of Goshen County as an early childhood development teacher and migrant outreach provider. She loved her work and, most of all, she loved the children she served.

After many years of health struggles, Elma eventually retired when she felt that her health was preventing her from giving the children everything she believed they deserved. That decision was not easy for her because caring for children was never simply a job—it was a calling.

Elma taught her family many lessons throughout her life, but one of the most important was to look beyond the bad in people and search for the good.

She often said, “It is easy to find the bad. It takes courage to look for the good.”

That was how Elma lived her life.

Elma was never a wealthy woman by worldly standards, but she was one of the richest people many of us will ever know. She was rich in compassion, love, and generosity.

Her home was a place where people could come when they had nowhere else to go. She welcomed anyone who needed a place to sleep, a hot meal, or simply someone to care about them. She believed that no one should ever go hungry and often reminded her family, “You should never fight over food.”

Elma raised her four children—Wayne, Richard, Paul, and Diane—but her love extended far beyond her own children. Throughout her life, she opened her heart and her home to many others who needed a mother, grandmother, aunt, or simply someone who believed in them.

Many people who were not related to Elma by blood called her Mom, Grandma, or Aunt. She never needed a blood relationship to make someone family. If you needed her, you were family.

Education was another important part of Elma’s life. She graduated from Eastern Wyoming College and later attended the University of Wyoming. She was the first generation in her family to earn a college degree, and she did so with honors.

Elma was incredibly proud of her accomplishments and continued her education through additional specialized educational training at the University of Wyoming. Her achievements were especially meaningful because of where she came from and the determination it took for her to accomplish them.

Elma faced many challenges throughout her life, including significant health struggles. When she lost her last brother, Abel, she lost a part of her spirit as well. For so many years, it had been her and her younger sister, Elsie, carrying the memories of their family and their childhood together.

After years of fighting through illness and pain, Elma was tired. She was ready to go home. She was ready to be free of pain and to be reunited with those she loved.

We know she was welcomed into Heaven by her father, Abel Santillanes; her mother, Alice Santillanes; her brothers, Abel, Jerry, and Gene; her sisters, Rebecca Baros, Dora Santillanes, and Connie Varges; her grandson, Conrad Servantez; and many other beloved family members and friends who had gone before her.

Elma leaves behind her husband, Tony Servantez; her children, Wayne, Richard, Paul, and Diane; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her sister, Elsie Gonzalez; and countless friends, relatives, and honorary family members whose lives she touched.

Her family knows there will never be another Elma.

She was not perfect, and she would probably be the first to tell you that. But she loved fiercely, gave generously, worked hard, believed in people, and never stopped trying to find the good in others.

Her greatest legacy will not be the degrees she earned or the jobs she held.

It will be the people she loved, the children she taught, the families she helped, the people she welcomed into her home, and the countless lives she changed simply by choosing to see the good in people.

Elma lived a life of service.

She lived a life of love.

And now, after a lifetime of giving to others, she can finally rest.

Mom, you fought a good fight. Your work here is done. Go rest with your loved ones. We will take it from here.

Until we meet again. We love you.