Lance, Deborah Kay

Deborah Kay Lance, 57, died Friday, March 9, 2012, in Houston, Texas following a long battle with lung cancer. A time for a gathering of family and friends to remember and share Debbie's life will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 16, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Private family services will be held at Oakland Cemetery.

Deborah Kay Lance was born Oct. 15, 1954, in Cleveland, Ohio, but spent most of her childhood in Iowa City. She later moved to Austin, Texas, where she lived for 43 years. After graduating from Reagan High School in Austin in 1972, Debbie entered engineering school at the University of Texas at Austin. This was a time when very few women were studying engineering and she persevered despite the barriers in her way. She worked her way through college as a night technician in the testing lab at the Texas Highway Department, attending classes during the day. In 1976, when Debbie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in architectural engineering, fewer than four percent of all practicing engineers were women.

After working for several engineering firms in Austin for eight years and becoming licensed as a professional engineer, Debbie started her own structural engineering consulting firm in 1984. Ever the perfectionist and stubbornly committed to providing meticulous, high quality designs for her clients, she was successfully self-employed for 28 years until her death. Debbie provided structural engineering services on a variety of commercial and residential projects. Her most challenging projects were residential homes exceeding 15,000 square feet, many of which were built into hillsides overlooking beautiful lakes in and around Austin. Debbie loved engineering and was proudest of her work on a project that involved a large home, two guest homes, two detached garages, a cabana, a swimming pool with a waterfall, and a 70-foot tower with an observatory on top.

A caring and considerate person, Debbie was always thinking of others. She loved her cats, Jason, James, and Jumping Jack Flash. Down to earth, with a great sense of humor, there was always a lot of laughter when she was around.

Debbie's family includes her father, George Lance, and stepmother, Phyllis Lance, of Iowa City; sister, Kathy Stepp of North Liberty; sister, Becky Lance Svatos and her husband, Tim Svatos, of Iowa City; halfsister, Belinda Hornyiak of Austin, Texas; niece, Stacy Rebal of North Liberty; niece, Elaine Svatos of Chicago; nephew, Austin Svatos of Lawrence, Kan.; and niece, Terri Hornyiak of Austin, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Marian (Holt) Cross; stepbrother, John Lance; and half brother, George Lance.

Online condolences may be sent for her family through the Web at www.gayandciha.com.

Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life or MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Published March 12, 2012 in The Gazette