Lance C. Panzer

• Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 10:00AM – 12:00PM at HERITAGE FUNERAL HOME 9200 S. 27th St. Oak Creek with a service to follow at 12:00PM. Private Interment at a later date at Hartland Village Cemetery.

Lance Clayton Panzer, avid reader, self-appointed movie critic, word smith, author, and curious of all things, passed away unexpectedly February 2, 2024, after a brief illness, leaving precious little time to say goodbye. He was surrounded by family and friends, and the love we had for him.

Lance was born on April 21, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois, to the late Fredric and Irene Panzer. After Lance graduated from Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin, in 1979, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

For over 31 years, Lance worked in the legal field as an editor/proofreader, where he met his wife, Mary Ellen Seffker. They were married on October 4, 1991.

To his friends, Lance could be thought of as a landlocked mariner fascinated with the history, romance and adventure of the Great Lakes. From shipwrecks to lighthouses, and the logistics of commerce shipping on the Lakes, he read, studied and researched with great joy from his office, his view from Lake Shore Tower, and his travels.

An avid reader, Lance loved the English language. Because his interests were so varied – from NASA and science fiction, to history and photography, he was an excellent conversationalist. He was the kind of guy you could sit with in a quiet bar and discuss the curiosities of life, movies, the deeper meaning of things for hours on end. Adding to the depth of conversation when you were with Lance, he had the uncanny ability, some might say savant-like, to remember the exact month, day, and year an event took place.

Lance was preceded in death by his father- and mother-in-laws Allen and Mary Ann Seffker, half-brothers Will and Fred Panzer, and half-sister Gail Dan. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen; half-brother Mark Panzer of Sun Tan Valley, Arizona; sister-in-law Barbara (Jim) Donovan of Iron Mountain, Michigan; sister-in-law Angela (Dan) Cope of Port Washington; brother-in-law Al Seffker of Milwaukee; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Funeral services will be held at Heritage Funeral Home, 9200 South 27th Street, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on Saturday, February 10. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon, with a memorial service followed by lunch.