Helen Lance

A woman who was truly beautiful on the inside and out, Helen Lance was a gift in the lives of so many in the community she called home throughout most her life. She was blessed to spend more than 67 years with the love of her life, and together they modeled what marriage is truly designed to be. A woman with her own creative flair, Helen crafted many keepsakes for her loved ones out of her heart that knew no bounds. Although she traveled the world over, Helen was always happiest with her family near. Life will never be the same without her here, but the memories she leaves behind will be forever held near and dear to the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Born during a time of respite between the hardship of war with WWI in the decade prior and the trying days of the Great Depression throughout the thirties, Helen’s birth was a time of great joy in her family. It was during the vibrant decade of the Roaring Twenties that Helen was welcomed into the arms of her parents, Cloyce Waltz and Lena (Cronkhite) Hanshue, on November 17, 1923, as the youngest of four children in her family. In many ways Helen experienced an upbringing that was rather typical for the youth of her generation.

New and exciting changes were in store for Helen as a young woman when she made the acquaintance of the young man with whom she would write an eloquent love story. His name was Lyle Jay Lance and they were introduced through her cousin, Marvin, who was a classmate of Lyle’s. It was during the late thirties that they met in Vicksburg, but it wasn’t until their paths crossed again a short time later at Vicksburg United Methodist Church that a romance officially began to blossom. At the time Helen lived in Kalamazoo and Lyle in Vicksburg until he was transferred to Benton Harbor when he began working for Michigan Bell Telephone in 1940. The couple traveled many miles to be together between the three places and with the arrival of WWII on our doorstep with the attack on Pearl Harbor, their situation became even more complicated because Lyle answered the call to serve by enlisting in the Navy.

With a desire to build a life together, the couple was united in marriage on February 8, 1943, while Lyle was home on leave after completing boot camp. The newlyweds corresponded through countless letters over the 2 1/2 years that followed and were overjoyed to be reunited again in September of 1945.

The couple made their home in Benton Harbor where Lyle went back to the phone company, and the couple was blessed to welcome two children into their hearts and home: Steven and Diane. The family of four later moved to Portage in 1953 where they built their home and welcomed their third child, Deborah. Helen fully immersed herself into her role as a mother and nurtured her creative side as well. She regularly enjoyed getting together with her sister, Beattie, with whom she spent many hours sewing, knitting, and making various craft projects. Everything that came out of Helen’s kitchen was fantastic, and she enjoyed experimenting with new recipes. Her lemon pie was among the family favorites and although it took the better part of a day to make, it took only a minute to eat!

There were so many things Helen enjoyed throughout her life. She let her creative juices flow creating several keepsakes for her children and later, her grandchildren as well. Helen worked at Upjohn for many years until she retired in 1984. While living in Portage she and Lyle were blessed with great neighbors with whom they loved socializing as often as they were able. Helen saw to it that she and her husband maintained a healthy lifestyle by mall walking with neighbors and friends. Both she and Lyle were interested in genealogy and logged many hours filling in their family trees as much as they could.

As those who knew Helen can attest, she loved traveling the world, taking in so much of what life has to offer. Their destinations included a trip to Switzerland in 1972 followed by another trip to Spain and over to Medina and Tunisia. Together they also enjoyed a trip to New England and Prince Edward Island. The mid-eighties found Helen and Lyle in Europe over a period of three weeks where they took in the sights and sounds of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In 1995 Helen and Lyle took a trip to France to commemorate the end of WWII along with her cousin who was awarded with a medal for his service during the war while they were there. Since Kentucky was Helen’s favorite place, they made several trips there through the years to Harrodsburg, the Beaumont Inn, and Bardstown. She enjoyed annual trips to Northern Michigan as well as the occasional trip to Florida and Arizona to visit their children and their families. Helen and Lyle saw much of the country with family and friends through their years of travels, and she even took an impromptu trip to Aruba and the Bahamas with her nephew and his wife.

Through the life she lived each day, Helen Lance was a woman of grace, humility, and compassion. She considered caring for her husband and children to be both her highest calling and her greatest gift and in so doing, she impacted the lives of the generations who follow her in such a special way. With her fun loving spirit, Helen taught us so much about what it means to truly live, creating a colorful mosaic of moments that have become a priceless treasure. She will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.

Helen Louise Lance died on Thursday, September 8, 2011. Helen’s family includes her husband, Lyle; children, Steven Lyle Lance (Mary) of Phoenix, AZ; Diane Louise (Dan) Kirkconnell of Tampa, FL, and Deborah Anne Snow of Otsego; 8 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; and her niece and nephew. Helen was preceded in death by her parents; brother & sister-in-law, Cloyce & Nellie Hanshue; sister and brother-in-law, Beatrice & Reed Dixson; sister and brother-in-law Maurine & Ervin Paulson; daughter, Suellen; granddaughter, Michelle Gunderson; son, Shawn; and granddaughter, Amanda Snow. The family will receive friends on Saturday, September 10, from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the Life Story Funeral Home, 5975 Lover Lanes, Portage (344-5600). The service will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the same location. Please visit Helen’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can leave a memory or sign her memory book online. The family would appreciate memorial donations be directed to the Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.