Lance Paavola

At Peel the Pumpkin, New York City, 1989

Lance Gordon Paavola
14 Oct 1950 - 04 Mar 1999

Clubs & Associations

Obituary

Lance Gordon Paavola, 48, formerly of Duluth and residing in Matawan, N.J., died Thursday, March 4, 1999, in St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.

Born in Duluth Oct. 14, 1950, to Richard and Della Peters Paavola, he was a 1967 graduate of Denfeld High School. Lance had received a B.A. degree from Cornell University and later attended Yale Law School, where he received his Juris Doctor degree.

While in school, Lance traveled and sang with the Cornell Glee Club and the Russian male chorus. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree, he worked for two law firms in New York for the next five years. He then worked for Family Computing Magazine as its technical director for six years. Lance then attended University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his master's degree in computer science. He had worked at AT&T in Holmdel, N.J., since September 1995. One of his many hobbies that gained him many wonderful friends was square dancing.

Lance is survived by his parents, Richard and Della Paavola of Duluth; a sister, LaVonne (David) Buchan of Woodridge, Ill.; and nephews Robert and James Buchan. The family wishes to give special thanks to Beth Nevins for her tireless help.

Memorial service: 2 p.m. Monday in First United Methodist Church. Inurnment Sunrise Cemetery. Arrangements by Williams-Lobermeier Funeral Home.^[1]

Remembrances

As many of you may already know, Times Squares and the square dancing world as a whole lost a good friend, Lance Paavola, on March 4th, after a valiant fight with cancer. Lance was an avid square dancer since his mainstream class at TS in 1989. He brought to this activity, as to all his interests, a desire for excellence that was coupled with an unparalleled level of personal warmth and sweetness. He had the unique gift of not only making many friends but keeping them for a lifetime, despite his changes in careers and locations.

Lance had left the area to attend grad school in Madison, Wisconsin, and started dancing again at Times Squares, as well as other groups in the area, immediately after he returned. When he became ill, he conserved his energy and resources to maximize that which gave him the greatest pleasure-square dancing. One of his greatest desires was to attend the New Year's C3B weekend in New Hampshire; maybe fittingly it was the last occasion on which he was able to dance.

A memorial service will be held in New York City on Friday evening, April 16th at the Friends Meeting House, 221 East 15th Street {between First and Second Avenues) at Bpm. Anyone who so desires may participate in the service-reading, remembrance, etc. Feel free to call for further information.
— Beth Nevins^[2]

Memorial Panel

3UL | Times Squares

Photos

Denfield High (Duluth, MN) yearbook portrait, 1968
At Peel the Pumpkin, New York City, 1989
With Michael Flynn (L) at National Advanced & Challenge Convention, Virginia Beach VA, 1994
At National Advanced & Challenge Convention, Virginia Beach VA, 1994
With Dairyland Rainbow Squares at Track II Chicago, 1995
Find A Grave Memorial 195110405