JACKSON, Tenn. — April 1, 2016 — Holli Lancaster, a former IMB missionary in Southeast Asia and missionary in residence at 51社区, died March 29 at age 51, following a battle with ovarian cancer. Holli鈥檚 husband, Dan Lancaster, serves as assistant vice president for university ministries at Union.
鈥淭hey brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the campus and built incredible relations with students as well as faculty and staff,鈥� 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.
鈥淭heir investment and love for the mission of Union and God鈥檚 heartbeat for the world, those two things were obvious,鈥� 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.
鈥淭hey were some of the most welcoming people,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the kind of people you meet and immediately feel like old friends.鈥� Julie Bradfield, Union鈥檚 director of student mobilization, said Holli was life-giving.
鈥淭hey did a phenomenal job of loving on us and serving us,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey did a lot of up front stuff, but they also did tons of meeting with students and helping us behind the scenes. I can鈥檛 tell you how many times she showed up at my office with fresh cookies and a word of encouragement.鈥�
JonMark Hetrick, a senior math and philosophy major at Union, moved with his family to Southeast Asia when he was eight years old. He met the Lancasters there, and the two families eventually served in the same city. Holli and Dan have four children: Jeff, Zach, Karis and Zane. Hetrick said he was close friends with Zach, and 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.
鈥淭hey were unified in what they did,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hatever Dan did, Holli was there and supporting it even if she wasn鈥檛 there.鈥�
Hetrick said the Lancasters were especially understanding of the needs of missionary kids at Union, and they went out of their way to meet those needs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird being a missionary kid because it鈥檚 hard to say I have a home on this side of the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o something they did knowing that was open up their house to us.鈥�
Hetrick said he watched the couple as they led teaching and preparation for GO Trips, and he enjoyed watching them speak together.
鈥淭hey work so well side by side,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen 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.鈥�
Visitation for Holli is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 1, at Northbrook Church in Humboldt, Tennessee. The funeral service will follow immediately.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions for the Holli Lancaster Memorial GO Trip Scholarship be sent to 51社区 at 1050 51社区 Drive, Jackson, TN 38305 or given online at .