In Loving Memory of

Lance Whissell

 

 

Ginger, Madeleine, George, Ron, Bonnie, Sean, Evan, and of course, Andrea, during these especially difficult and challenging times, we're all thinking of you. We are confident all of you will get through this, and before long, brighter days will be back. Lance would want all of you to focus on your favorite moments with him, the fun times together, along with the many colorful stories he shared. I can still remember the Mr. Shelly stories Lance would tell, making both Andrea and me especially curious yet equally horrified about taking English 30 at Louis St. Laurent. So do carry on with all of your most cherished memories, then closure can and will happen. After Madeleine and George, the memories you have and share are the next most precious thing that Lance leaves behind for all of you. Warmest Alohas, The Alo / Curle / Duarte-Pedrosa Clans Ann, Jonli, Lani, & Malia Alo, Anita, Darcy, Dylan & Ryan Curle, Michael Duarte-Pedrosa, Leslie Garland, Stephanie, and Calvin Duarte-Pedrosa
posted by Ann Alo : Lance's younger sister's best friend. : Mar 15, 2021

 

Dear Ron, Bonnie and family, we are so saddened and shocked by the news of Lanceā??s passing. Lanceā??s personality was bigger than life itself. He will be remembered and missed by so many. He and Ginger lived an amazing life together with no regrets. They raised two beautiful children and Lance was a dedicated and caring father, a trait he learned from his parents. Although we did not have the opportunity to spend much time with Lance and his family over the last several years, whenever we did meet up, he always made us laugh. He was definitely one of a kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this difficult time.
posted by Brian & Rita Whissell : Lance was our Nephew : Mar 13, 2021

 

In reflecting on my 38 year friendship with Lance, what has hit me the most was how instrumental he was in bringing together a disparate group of guys from very different backgrounds, and by his leadership, enthusiasm, energy and exuberance was able to forge bonds between us that last to this day. If not for Lance bringing me into the fold, I personally would not have made the many lifelong friends that I did. What value can you put on that? We all owe him a great deal of thanks, and will miss his friendship dearly. He was one of a kind to be sure. Rest well buddy.
posted by Clay Hamdon : Friend : Mar 07, 2021

 

To Ginger, Madeleine, George and the Whissell and Vaitkunas families, We received the news of Lance's passing with shock and deep sadness. It seems impossible to lose someone who embraced life the way Lance did. Lance had a presence that was impossible to miss, a zest for life that was impossible not to envy, and a laugh that could fill any room. We first met Lance at UofA. We shared classes, friends and far too many frat parties. We discovered that both our parents had homes in Scottsdale and shared a few end of school celebrations there as well. Lance loved music and loved to dance, never seeming to be able to leave a dance floor unoccupied. It has always been impossible for us to hear Billy Idol and not think of Lance and smile. After university came weddings, both of us to our high school sweethearts. Though we embarked on different career paths our geographical paths continued to cross for the next three decades. We often seemed to follow Lance and Ginger, sharing so many of the same interests. After Edmonton we ended up in Toronto as Lance and Ginger headed to Vancouver. Jen never tires of the story of a visit to Lance and Ginger in Vancouver where Lance took her up to the roof in a storm to admire the view. As they stood on the roof a bolt of lightening struck the lightening rod on the top of the adjacent building, ricochetting down the shaft of Jen's umbrella, scorching her right thumb that had been placed on the screw of the wooden handle. Jen is convinced that only Lance would seek adventure on a roof top in a thunderstorm. Unlike Jen, he did come out completely unscathed! A few years after Lance and Ginger moved to Hong Kong we followed suit. It meant more to us than they will ever know to have them in Hong Kong as we got our lives there established. We remained in Hong Kong while Lance and Ginger explored life in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, California, Phoenix and Shanghai. We managed to visit Lance and Ginger in all but California. We even followed Lance and Ginger on the baby front; our eldest two children each being born a few months after the birth of Madeleine and George. This of course, necessitated more visits as we enjoyed watching each other's children grow up. We even then went as far as mirroring our family summers with Lance and Ginger on Pender Island and us on Vancouver Island. Our friendship spanned thirty-eight years and has more shared memories and shared experiences than most. We are so grateful to have had Lance in our lives. He made the most of every experience and we were fortunate enough to tag along for parts of the ride. The memories are innumerable and the laughter will take more than another 38 years to fade. Knowing Lance was a gift for which we are eternally grateful to have been given. We will miss him deeply. Sending condolences and much love, Bob and Jen Cormie
posted by Robert & Jennifer Cormie : University friends : Mar 07, 2021

 

Bonnie and Ron, our sincere condolences to you and your family on the passing of Lance. He was much too young and obviously had much more to contribute to his family and friends. Please pass on our heartfelt sympathies to Lance's wife and children.
posted by Tom & Clare Grinnell : Former Principal of St. Mary School in Westlock. : Mar 06, 2021

 

Lance brought a ray of sunshine where he went, was able to captivate a room using his charisma and great sense of humor. He will be greatly missed. A beautiful love story between Lance and Ginger always was apparent lasting through both decades and the turn of the century. Every day is a gift. Lance lived life to itā??s fullest, and grew to his full potential - this would make any parent proud. Madeleine and George are fortunate to have had a truly loving father who was generous with his gift of time and interpersonal connection. I hope you feel surrounded by love during this difficult time.
posted by Vanessa Childress : My wonderful sister : Mar 06, 2021