Submitted by: Dan Rich

Michael Lynn Vance

April 29, 1945 - Oct. 17, 2008

South Bend Tribune 10/19/2008
SOUTH BEND - Michael Lynn Vance, 63, lost his battle with cancer, which began in April 2004. He was born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Captain Dr. S. Lynn Vance and Verna M. (Martin) Vance. Michael came to South Bend as a child and remained there until 1988. He graduated from John Adams High School and attended the South Bend College of Commerce and Indiana University at Bloomington. He was a trained draftsman and spent his earliest working years with the St. Joseph County Department of Engineering. He spent the next 16 years of his working career with the City of South Bend, first as chief deputy controller and then as director of South Bend Utilities and, finally, as City Controller. He also did consulting work for the YMCA system. From 1993 to May 16th, 2008, he served as chief financial officer for the City of Sturgis, Michigan. On July 16th, 2004, he married Marcella A. Lasko. He is survived by his wife, soulmate and caregiver, without whose help he could not have made this journey; his son, Station Chief Bradley L. (Kathie); granddaughter, Michaela L. Vance, all of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and a stepson, Daniel (Frankie) Bergerson. He is also survived by his younger brother, Gregory A. (Sherry) Vance of Carmel, IN, and his younger sister, Patricia A. (Steven) Beaver of Commerce Township, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents and an older sister, Doris Jean Thompson. He loved all types of music, auto racing, and animals, especially his constant companion of many years, Dillon, a rottweiler. He loved the lake environment and fishing, and often said that "a bad day at the lake is better then a good day at the office anytime."