Howard James Lance Jr., 75,  of Springfield, Missouri passed away surrounded by loved ones on February 12, 2017.

Howard was born on January 11, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan to Howard J. Lance Sr., Loyola V. Lance.  A sister, Loyola Lance, came along a couple years later.  Howard graduated from Bentley High School in Livonia, Michigan in 1959.  He served two years in the United States Coast Guard before uniting in marriage to Susan Ruth Malone on January 19, 1963.  Shortly after marrying, the pair moved to sunny California where Howard became a shoe salesman.  By 1972, Howard and Susan had three sons, Howard, James, and Daniel.  Howard owned and operated five beauty shops in California before the family of five relocated to Marathon, Florida.  Howard owned a lobster business and spent much of his time with his family in or near the ocean.  Relaying stories of time spent scuba diving and deep sea fishing in the Florida Keys with his young family never failed to bring a smile to Howard's face and a twinkle to his eye.  The family relocated once more to Southwest Missouri in 1983.  Howard traded deep sea fishing for fishing in the Ozarks and he also loved to hunt with friends and family.  In Missouri, Howard went to Baptist Bible College where he studied ministry for a time.  As a born-again Christian,  Howard's faith was very important to him and he exemplified his Christian values in the way that he helped and treated people.  Howard was also an excellent carpenter and he passed those skills onto all three of his sons.  He went on to own a car dealership and then worked as a car salesman for many years.   He was a gifted entrepreneur whose talent, kindness, charm, and personality allowed him to excel in many different ventures.   As time passed and his sons grew up,  there were eight grandchildren added to the family.  Howard valued time spent with family above all else and delighted in spending time with his grandchildren who adored him.  He was an avid card player who taught much of the family to play a variety of games.  Time spent around a card table with Howard was time well spent and many people were brought together in this way.  Though he was not one to brag about it, Howard found great joy in helping others.  His kindness, love, and generosity are remembered by many and stories of his kind heart will be told for generations to come.

Along with his wife Susan, Howard leaves behind his three sons:  Howard Lance III and wife Beverly of Willard, Missouri; James Lance of Springfield, Missouri; Daniel Lance and wife Barbara of Highlandville, Missouri; grandchildren Tiffany Gladden and husband Brett, Cameron Udo, Thomas Lance, Cassidy Lance, Christian Lance, Michael de la Torre, John de la Torre, Megan de la Torre, and a host of loving friends.

Howard was preceded in death by his parents and his younger sister, Loyola Lance of Fontana, California.

A service will be held to honor this beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 10 a.m. at Hillside Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri.  Interment is at  White Chapel Memorial Gardens.