John Lance Wallace

April 1, 1956 - March 3, 2020

John Lance Wallace, age 63, of Savanna passed away Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at the Resthave Nursing Center, Morrison, Illinois. Lance was a world traveler by choice, he volunteered for the US Navy right out of high school, then, he made it his career. Sicily and Italy were his favorite places to be stationed. He enjoyed getting to know the people, culture, and food wherever the Navy took him. Lance was born April 1, 1956 in Denver, Colorado, the son of John and Alice June (Goss) Wallace. He is a 1974 graduate of the Arvada High School, Arvada, Colorado. He enlisted in the US Navy, and served most of his Navy career as a Chief Gunner’s Mate. In 1982, Lance married Lori Ann Lundquist. They had two children, Jason and Brian. Lori passed away after a sudden illness in 1986. Lance later married Karen (Hoffman) Dunk in 1987 in Littleton, Colorado. Together they raised two boys and celebrated 32 years of marriage. His boys both served in the Navy, following in their father’s footsteps. After spending some time working in Streamwood, Illinois, Lance went back to the Navy, and back to traveling. He spent time in New Jersey, Guam and Japan. He thought he was going to settle down with Karen and the boys in Savanna, while Karen cared for her mother, although duty called and Lance went back to work in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. The next time he returned home, he secured a job at the Rock Island Arsenal which allowed him to finally be home. At the Arsenal, he worked on projects to help canines secure airports from explosives. After retirement, Lance couldn’t keep still, so he took a job as a dispatcher for Ra-ly Transport Co in Earlville, Iowa. Lance was a tremendous reader, enjoying learning about history the most. He also liked playing cards and was a true computer geek. When he wasn’t on assignment, he enjoyed attending his son’s events. One of his favorite memories was looking-out over the Colorado landscape with his young sons and watching all the lights of Denver come-on at dusk, “just like they were turning them on.” He is described as intelligent and strong-willed. He dealt with declining health, cancer and multiple strokes over the last months, knowing that he wouldn’t have survived this long without a good bit of tenacity. Lance’s life will be honored during a graveside service inurnment at Spring Lake Cemetery with full military rites provided by the Savanna VFW and American Legion. A date will be announced soon.