In Memoriam - Lance Crummett

by Bill Zimmerman

I was asked to write a few words about my longtime friend and neighbor, Lance Crummett, who passed away on March 3.

When Carol and I decided to build our retirement home in Beartrap we really didn’t know what to expect from the area. When we bought the property we were living overseas, and after the purchase we hadn’t even visited much. So when we met our nearest neighbors, Judy and Lance, we were delighted. They had been here quite a while and, of course, we were new to the area, so they helped get us settled.

Over time, Lance and I became close friends. We had several things in common. Each of us had served in the military. Both families had lived in a foreign country. Experiencing how hard it can be to adapt to those situations gives you an appreciation of how much friendship and support matters. So, we had dinners together. We helped each other with projects, the largest being the construction of a greenhouse for Judy. Lance and I shared an appreciation for good single malts, which helped when we were solving the world’s problems. Of course he recruited me for Four Mile Fire. I responded as long as I could. He was a great instructor and he always stressed the importance of the safety of his fire fighters and the residents we protected. As the years passed, we spent way too much time visiting each other in various hospitals. Now that he is gone there is an empty space in my life.