You can shed tears that he is gone,

or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back, 

or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him, 

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him only that he is gone,

or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what he'd want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

(David Harkins) 

Lance Parks was born to Everett and Iva Mae Parks on April 25, 1954 at Saint Luke's hospital in Spokane, Washington. He passed away March 8, 2020 in Reno, Nevada after a 7-year battle with cancer. Lance grew up in the Garden Springs area with his older sister Krisann Parks, older brother Craig Parks and younger sister Martha Parks. Lance was a very likable person, and had a persistence and determination which, for the most part, guided him to the achievements that he attained. An example of his tenacity and determination was evident as early as the fourth grade. Lance had an affection for 7-11 Slurpees. So, he would ride his old broken down bicycle all the way from Garden Springs and up Hatch Road --without stopping-- to get a Slurpee at the nearest 7-11 located on the South Hill. This was a round trip of 20 miles with a 2 mile 520-foot climb. You could also say there began his love of cycling. Lance graduated with honors from Cheney High School class of '72, and was very active in sports throughout junior and senior high school, lettering three years in both baseball and wrestling. After graduation, Lance was employed by Kimmel Athletic Supply and was on the Mount Spokane Ski Patrol. Around 1981, Lance decided he wanted to do something different. He wanted to become a chemical engineer. Not having taken a math course since high school, and with that persistence and determination, he loaded up an old beat-up Datsun pickup with everything he owned, plus a case of oil, and took off for Texas Tech University. That same determination allowed him to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1985. Shortly thereafter he found employment with British Oxygen Company and then with Airco Industrial Gases where he traveled all over the world managing the installation of gas products in manufacturing plants. His passport had 50 pages full of stamps where he had traveled during his employment. As the company grew, so did Lance's stake in the company, and by his mid-40s he sold his interest in the company and never worked as an engineer another day in his life. It was also at this time that he met Ana de Bettencourt-Dias and they were together for 21 years. Once Lance retired he didn't just sit around. He took up cycling again, but with much better bikes than the one used on his Slurpee runs. He rode anywhere from 30 to 50 and even 100 miles just about every day, either alone or with a group of cyclists, many much younger than him, but rode with the same intensity as his younger counterparts. When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013, he was told that he had a life expectancy of 5 more years, and if he started a regiment of treatments, he could slow the progress down. However, the side effects would have kept him from living the active life that he wanted, particularly cycling. He chose to ride. He had 5-plus good years, but during this last year the cancer caught up with him with a vengeance. When Lance passed, Ana was by his side as well as his brother and sister. He was preceded in death by his sister Martha and his parents. He leaves behind Ana, sister Krisann, brother Craig, sister-in-law Kathy, many nieces and nephews and a great group of riders and friends. Also, his family would like to thank the great care he received from Nathan, his hospice caregiver, all the staff at Circle of Life Hospice and the physicians who treated him.