Lance Alan King

ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2024, LANCE ALAN KING ENTERED THE GATES OF HEAVEN BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH IN CHRIST OUR SAVIOR.

LANCE WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 5TH, 1961 IN WACO, TX TO PARENTS DR. C REGINAL (PREACHER) AND MARIAN KING (MUSIC TEACHER). HE WAS THE SECOND OF TWO SONS, AND WAS SIBLINGS TO CLIFF AND YOUNGER SISTER JANELL. IN 1965, THE FAMILY MOVED TO AUSTIN, WHERE LANCE WAS BAPTIZED BY HIS FATHER. LANCE ATTENDED CASIS ELEMENTARY AND FOUND JOY IN RIDING BIKES, GYMNASTICS, AND BOY SCOUTS. LANCE EARNED THE HIGHEST RANKING IN SCOUTS, BECOMING AN EAGLE SCOUT AT A YOUNG AGE. LIKE HIS MOTHER, HE ALSO LOVED MUSIC. HE SANG IN THE AUSTIN BOYS CHOIR AND JOINED THE BAND AT O'HENRY JUNIOR HIGH.

 LANCE LATER FINISHED HIS SCHOOLING AT LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL IN DALLAS. THERE, HE MARCHED IN THE BAND, COMPETED ON THE GYMNASTICS TEAM, AND BECAME A BELL BOY. HE WAS ALSO ELECTED TO BE A KEY CLUB OFFICER. OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, HE SERVED IN THE CHAPEL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA AT FIRST BAPTIST DALLAS.

AFTER EARNING HIS DIPLOMA IN 1980, LANCE ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AS PART OF THE PLAN II HONORS PROGRAM. HE LATER TRANSFERRED TO BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, AND STARTED A LENGTHY COACHING CAREER IN MEN'S GYMNASTICS. LANCE BEGAN COACHING AT CRENSHAWS IN AUSTIN, AND FROM THERE MOVED ON TO COACH AT CAPITOL GYMNASTICS. HE WAS EVENTUALLY ASKED TO JOIN THE USA OLYMPIC TRAINING PROGRAM, WHICH ALLOWED HIM TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AND WORK WITH AMERICA'S MOST ELITE GYMNASTS, SOME OF WHOM WENT ON TO BECOME OLYMPIANS, INCLUDING LANCE RINGNALD.

 WHILE COACHING, LANCE MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, REBECA (BECKY) RANGEL, AND HER THREE BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS JAMIE, JENNY AND JACKIE ACEVEDO. THEY WERE MARRIED IN AUSTIN ON NOV 11, 1994.THEY LATER WELCOMED TWO TWIN DAUGHTERS, ALEXANDRIA AND VICTORIA IN JANUARY OF 1997, AND A SON CHANCELLOR IN DECEMBER OF THAT SAME YEAR. LANCE LOVED BEING THE PATRIARCH OF THE VERY LARGE FAMILY, AND AS THEY GREW, LANCE AND BECKY BOTH BECAME HEAVILY INVOLVED IN AWANAS, MAKING SURE THEY LAID A FOUNDATION OF FAITH FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

 IN 1999, LANCE BEGAN A NEW CAREER AT DELL. AS A NATURAL SALESMAN, HE QUICKLY ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS AND WAS ASKED TO HELP EXPAND THE COMPANY TO OKLAHOMA CITY. HE ACCEPTED THE JOB TRANSFER AND MOVED THE FAMILY TO EDMOND IN 2005.

LANCE AND BECKY BOTH QUICKLY BECAME ACTIVE AND INVOLVED PARENTS AT THE DEER CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, CHEERING ON THE KIDS AT THEIR DIFFERENT SPORTS COMPETITIONS, ATTENDING CHOIR AND BAND CONCERTS, AND SUPPORTING THEIR VARIOUS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS. THE FAMILY ALSO BECAME WELL INVOLVED WITH CROSSINGS COMMUNITY CHURCH, WHERE LANCE SERVED AS A BOYS SMALL GROUP LEADER FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

DURING THOSE YEARS, HE GOT TO SHARE HIS LOVE OF TRAVELING THE WORLD WITH HIS FAMILY, TAKING THEM ON SEVERAL TRIPS SPANNING FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE BEACHES. LANCE GOT TO WATCH HIS CHILDREN GRADUATE WITH HONORS, EACH ATTENDING A DIFFERENT COLLEGE, INCLUDING TEXAS STATE, UT, SOUTHERN NAZARENE, OU, OSU, AND BAYLOR. OVER THE YEARS, LANCE ALSO GOT TO SEE SEVERAL OF HIS CHILDREN GET MARRIED, WALKING THEM DOWN THE AISLE, GIVING FOUR OF HIS DAUGHTERS AWAY TO HIS FUTURE SON-IN-LAWS AND SEEING HIS SON BECOME A HUSBAND.

 LANCE EVENTUALLY MOVED ON FROM DELL, WORKING AS AN INDEPENDENT SALESMAN UNTIL HE BECAME A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, OPENING UP AN ELECTRIC BIKE STORE, PEDEGO OKC, IN 2021. ALTHOUGH HE ALWAYS WORKED HARD TO PROVIDE FOR HIS FAMILY, LANCE'S FAVORITE TITLE WAS "DAD". HIS SECOND FAVORITE NAME QUICKLY BECAME"GRAND-DOG", AS HIS THREE OLDEST DAUGHTERS BLESSED HIM WITH SIX WONDERFUL GRANDCHILDREN. OVER THE YEARS, LANCE AND BECKY MADE EFFORTS TO BE A PART OF THEIR GRANDKIDS' LIVES AND ACTIVITIES IN TEXAS.

 IN FEBRUARY OF 2024, LANCE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE AND AGGRESSIVE LEUKEMIA (T-CELL PLL). HE AND BECKY MOVED TO MD ANDERSON IN HOUSTON, WHERE HE CONFRONTED THE CANCER HEAD-ON.THERE, HE VALIANTLY AND BRAVELY ENDURED FIVE GRUELING CHEMOTHERAPY TRIALS. THROUGHOUT TREATMENT, LANCE LEANED ON HIS BELOVED WIFE BECKY, AND STOOD ON HIS UNWAVERING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, NEVER ONCE GIVING UP ON HIS FAITH OR HIS FIGHT. IN SEPTEMBER, THE DOCTORS ANNOUNCED THEY WERE UNABLE TO ERADICATE THE CANCER CELLS IN HIS BONE MARROW. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO TRANSFER LANCE BACK HOME TO OKLAHOMA, VIA AMBULANCE.LANCE LIVED OUT HIS FINAL DAYS ON EARTH AT MERCY HOSPITAL,SURROUNDED BY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND LOVED ONES 

 LANCE IS SURVIVED BY HIS DEVOTED WIFE REBECA, HIS DAUGHTERS ALEXANDRIA LEE KING, VICTORIA ANN KING AND HER HUSBAND CAPTAIN SEAN AUTHELET (USMC), HIS SON CHANCELLOR ALAN KING AND HIS WIFE KAMILLE, HIS DAUGHTER JAMIE LILY AND HER HUSBAND LANDON DOYLE WITH GRANDSONS NOAH AND INDY, HIS DAUGHTER JENNY MARIE AND HER HUSBAND ART DENIS WITH GRANDKIDS BECCA AND CRISTIAN, AND HIS DAUGHTER JACKIE LYNN AND HER HUSBAND ZACH POPE WITH GRANDKIDS MILES AND SKYE. HE IS ALSO SURVIVED BY HIS MOTHER MARIAN KING, HIS BROTHER CLIFF KING AND HIS SISTER AND BROTHER IN LAW JANELL AND JOE LUCE. LANCE'S FATHER REG KING AND HIS NEPHEW, GARRETT LUCE PRECEDED HIS ARRIVAL IN HEAVEN, ALONG WITH A HOST OF DEAR GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS, UNCLES AND SO MANY OTHERS IN HIS FAITHFUL FAMILY.