Our beloved Lance Lein left this life for the next in April of 2020.

We will gather together to honor and celebrate his life on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 10:30 am. All are welcome to join the family in the Sanctuary or tune in to the Livestream (either from the comfort of your home or on our Pavilion).

Please note that masks are not required, yet the family asks that you be considerate in wearing one if you are unvaccinated. In addition, seating is open (no physical distancing required). No RSVPs are required…just come and help us honor our beloved Lance Lein!

There will be a reception following the Service for those on campus. If you are in the local area, you are welcome to come out for the reception, which will take place outdoors.

Lance Lein Obituary

Lance Lein – husband, father, brother, friend, sponsor, student, and teacher – left this life for the next in April 2020, in Cedar Park, Texas.  He was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1947. He was the first child of Marian and Martin Lein, who raised Lance and his siblings in Sheepshead Bay, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. 

Lance loved sports. He was a champion triple-jumper at Sheepshead Bay High School and a champion club tennis player in Houston. Lance especially loved baseball. He was 10 when the Brooklyn Dodgers abandoned him for Los Angeles; he never forgave them. He became a New York Yankees fan, and he rooted for them passionately until the day he died. He was sad to miss Gerrit Cole’s debut in pinstripes, even as he survived to see Opening Day come and go.

Lance loved music.  He lived to sing, dance, and play air guitar. He raised his children on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon and Garfunkel, the Allman Brothers, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. Using nothing more than the car radio volume knob, he turned his children into viciously good “name that tune” players. Later in life, he joined the Austin Civic Chorus, where he sang and served for years as the Chairman of its Board of Directors. But he never required an audience to enjoy singing, he would burst out into song in all times and places.

Lance learned to love himself and others. While alcohol and drugs clouded his early life, at age forty-one he found new life in the twelve steps of recovery.  He had a hard-earned commitment to the spirit and he remained sober until his passing. He was so devoted to his own recovery, he became a sponsor and mentor, helping many others to a new life as well.  For years, he was a licensed drug-and-alcohol counselor in Austin.

At forty-five, he met and later married Jean, the love of his life.  Their journey of love and discovering the depths of love were the cornerstone of both of their lives.  They were blessed in traveling the spiritual path together, through becoming Agape Licensed Spiritual Practitioners in California, and later Religious Science Practitioners.  They returned to Austin where he was Director of Prayer and Care at Unity Church of the Hills. He was known and loved for his counseling sessions, spiritual classes, talks, and rousing prayers at Sunday services.

Lance loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Jean Lein, and his three children, Laurie O’Block (Jeff) of Houston, Texas, David Lein (Melanie) of Austin, Texas, and Robert Lein (Robyn) of Chattanooga, Tennesee.  He also leaves behind six grandchildren: Meredith Croak (Kyle), Elizabeth and Charlie O’Block, Chloe and Brennan Lein, and Mateo Lein, and great grandson Mason Henry Croak.  Also surviving are his brother Joseph Lein and his sister Marcia Schiff and niece Catarina in New York. As he neared death, Lance’s only regret was that he would miss out on more days with his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchild.

Jean and the family are so very grateful for all of the love and support of friends and family during Lance’s illness and transition.  We could not have made it through without you, and your loving presence means more to us than you can know.

Lance Lein on YouTube:

We are compiling a playlist of Lance speaking here at Unity Church of the Hills. The playlist below includes Opening Prayers, Meditations as well as messages delivered at our 11:25 am Service. We are working to pull in the 8 am messages. It is not complete, but gives us all a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with our beloved friend, Lance.

In addition to his talks here at UCOH, check out his interview on Life, Living and Dying with Dennis Tardan: https://youtu.be/0cASwq1a45k