Issue: Spring 2016 | Posted: April 25, 2016

Old School

Memoriam: Union mourns loss of Lancaster, 51, to cancer

Holli Lancaster, a former IMB missionary in Southeast Asia and missionary in residence at Union University, died March 29 at age 51, following a battle with ovarian cancer. Holli’s husband, Dan Lancaster, serves as assistant vice president for university ministries at Union.

“They brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the campus and built incredible relations with students as well as faculty and staff,” said Todd Brady, vice president for university ministries at Union.

Prior to serving at Union, the Lancasters spent 12 years as missionaries in Southeast Asia. Brady said when they came to Union, their mission and purpose came with them.

“Their investment and love for the mission of Union and God’s heartbeat for the world, those two things were obvious,” he said.

The Lancasters came to Union in 2014 as missionaries in residence before transitioning to full-time work with university ministries. Brady said they became quickly invested in the campus, helping with training for Global Opportunities Trips and opening their home to students.

Julie Bradfield, Union’s director of student mobilization, said Holli was life-giving.

“They did a phenomenal job of loving on us and serving us,” she said. “They did a lot of up front stuff, but they also did tons of meeting with students and helping us behind the scenes. I can’t tell you how many times she showed up at my office with fresh cookies and a word of encouragement.”

JonMark Hetrick, a senior math and philosophy major at Union, met the Lancasters when his family was on the mission field, and the two families eventually served in the same city. Holli and Dan have four children: Jeff, Zach, Karis and Zane. Hetrick said the Lancasters were like a second family to him.

Hetrick was a student at Union when Dan and Holli joined the university, and he said their passion for missions was the same in the states as it was in Asia.

“They were unified in what they did,” he said. “Whatever Dan did, Holli was there and supporting it even if she wasn’t there.”

Hetrick said he watched the couple as they led teaching and preparation for GO Trips, and he enjoyed watching them speak together.

“They work so well side by side,” he said. “When he was speaking, if he missed something, she took it up and filled in the gaps. They had a heart for missions together that was uniform. They could rely on each other.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions for the Holli Lancaster Memorial GO Trip Scholarship be sent to Union University at 1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, TN 38305 or given online at uu.edu/giving/lancaster