Lance Williams Obituary

I count Lance among my best friends, both in the sense of being dear to me and in the sense that he was one of the best humans I have ever known, in every way that counts. Brilliant intellectually, morally upright, a true gentleman, kind and thoughtful, modest, creative, generous and humorous, talented, a paragon in so many ways. As I have said elsewhere, I have loved and admired Lance for most of my life and would gladly have traded my life for his. The world would be better for that exchange. However, it appears that he has graduated from Schoolroom Earth, evidently having evolved about as far as one can before moving on to whatever comes next. I weep for myself and those he has left behind, for I (and many of us, I feel certain) will miss him for the rest of my life. My sincere condolences to Sean & Todd, Amber, Mane and Zeph, and all those others in whose lives his absence leaves such a gap. I know from our conversation over the years that he loved Amber dearly, and his boys beyond expression. I will always remember that at one point I saw a paperback book in a prison library--one of James Gunn's novels--which Lance had illustrated. Someone had torn out the page that was a picture of an angel--so his work gave comfort to someone in need of it. He seemed surprised when I told him, which was very like him.

"Good night sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

A beautiful man,with a beautiful wife and two fine sons.

Beautifully written and balm for knew he was a genius, still have deep heartaches for a brother, brother-in-law, sitting around a fire in Lawrence.

Dear Sean and Family, I've been out of town and just read your brother's obituary. I am deeply saddened for your loss! As we age, our siblings usually become our best friends, and I'm sure you and Lance were as well. I see a great resemblance to you from Lance's photo.
Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time, my friend!
With Sincere Sympathy, Jan Brighton

Lance was one of my oldest and dearest friends, from the early 1960s up until his passing. I saw up-close his brilliant mind and knew that he was destined for greatness. I was not surprised when he won an Academy Award for his pioneering work in computer graphics. In school I used to sit at the desk next to him as his Rapidograph pen doodled designs of intricate precision, pointillism, and imagination. I still have a lot of his original artwork, letters, notes, postcards, and photos. We shared a love of music, photography, books, movies, conversation, and a readiness to laugh. I enjoyed working with his brother Sean at Keeler's Bookstore in Lawrence and meeting his family on Louisiana Street. Lance was generous and kind. He sold me his father Skipper's VW bus, as my little family moved from Lawrence to our new city of Austin in 1971. Lance visited here a number of times and I also saw him when we visited Lawrence. His friendship buoyed me through the ups and downs of life, such as the sudden loss of my mother and little brother in a 1974 car wreck in Lawrence, and of my dad, Bill Pendleton, in 2015. He had his own sorrows, including the deaths of his parents and brother Bret. I had hoped to connect with him this past July for our 50th Lawrence High reunion, but it was not to be. Lance's passing has broken my heart and my world will never be the same. He loved his wife and boys deeply, and I offer my sincerest condolences to them.

For the sweetest, wisest soul of all my days and lands...and this for his dear sake;
Lilac and star and bird, twined with the chant of my soul,
There in the fragrant pines, and the cedars dusk and dim.
--Walt Whitman