April 18, 2010 11:39 PM
Lance Gearing - RIP
This is hard news. The body of Lance Gearing - missing since last Tuesday - has been found. May he rest in peace.
From our beloved Special Olympics basketball coach, Dan Dillon:
The following notice is from the WUSA web site tonight. I sent most of you an email about Lance being missing since last Tuesday and it breaks my heart to send this out to you all now.GAINESVILLE, VA (WUSA) -- Prince William County Police said Sunday that they have found the body 39 year old Lance Gearing near his parents' home in Gainesville.The Heritage Hunt Community Emergency Response Team had been searching the area when they found a bag that appeared to belong to the missing man. Divers with the Prince William County Police found Gearing's body in a nearby pond.
Gearing had been missing since Tuesday morning, when he was last seen leaving his parents' home.
Lance was a part of this family for over 25 years and we saw him grow from an awkward, shy middle schooler into a high school athlete who earned Varsity letters on the Broad Run HS Cross Country team, where he was also manager of the Varsity basketball team. As Lance grew older the younger athletes looked up to Lance as a leader on the team and a phenomenal talent on the court. Filled with seemingly limitless energy to run up and down the court Lance was a huge part of the Terminators. We will miss him terribly.
At this time our hearts and prayers must be with Lance's parents Don and Joy and his sister Kim. They will need all of us to be with them in spirit over what will be very difficult days ahead. I will forward details of any arrangements surrounding memorials or services as I learn of them.
Coach Dillon
Thank you Coach Dillon for breaking it to us gently. Our prayers are with Lance's family.
Posted in Disabilities, Loudoun County, RIP | Permalink
Comments
I am so sorry to read this.
I will be holding Lance's family and those whose lives he touched in prayer.
Posted by: j dan | April 19, 2010 7:37 AM
My prayers are going up. I am so sorry to hear this.
Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | April 19, 2010 10:08 AM
I went to Broad Run while Lance was there and I will never forget his beautiful smile. He was always so friendly and seemed to always be in a good mood.
I am praying for his family today. May they know God's peace and love as they move through the coming days.
Posted by: Leslie | April 19, 2010 10:50 AM
To the Gearing family know you are being thought of and loved. Lance will always be remembered.
Posted by: Jennifer MacPherson | April 19, 2010 11:15 AM
To Lance's family
My thoughts and prayers are with you. Such a tragic loss. I never met Lance, but it sounds like he was a wonderful person and that he will be very much missed.
Hilary Grey
Posted by: hilary | April 19, 2010 11:21 AM
I grew up in Seneca Ridge, and now reside in San Diego. I remember Lance riding through the neighborhood, waving hello, always with a smile on his face. I am sad to hear this news. My thoughts are with the Gearing family.
Posted by: Gregg Griebel | April 19, 2010 2:23 PM
My brother and I participated in Special Olympics bowling with Lance. He was a wonderful man. I will be praying for his family and friends.
Posted by: Valerie | April 19, 2010 9:30 PM
Lance was an important part of the 1988 Broad Run Spartan Basketball team. He contributed to a team that made the regional tournament for the first time in over a decade and even though my run was up in 88, I'm pretty sure he was an important part of two of the best teams Broad Run ever had in 1990 and 1991. Years later, whenever I was fortunate enough to see him at the Countryside Safeway he always brightened my day.
Lance,
I know you'd be embarassed to hear this but you were a role model. You took your work seriously and you shouldered your responsibilities and any setbacks you encounntered with a smile. I will think of you when I encounter future adversity and try to live up the example you set.
Chip Garczynski
Posted by: Chip Garczynski | April 19, 2010 9:45 PM
My prayers go out to The Gearing Family. Lance touched the lives of everyone he met. He always had a big smile for me every time I saw him at Giant. I am so sorry to hear he was suffering near the end of his short life. I hope he has found peace.
Lisa Herndon Broyhill
Posted by: Lisa Herndon Broyhill | April 19, 2010 9:59 PM
I worked with Lance when he managed basketball for us at Broad Run. When we opened Potomac Falls and I got the Head Coaching job, Lance was the first call I made to see if he would manage. Even though Lance was already out of high school he accepted and helped us the first 3 years we were open at PF. Lance would do anything that was asked of him and always with a smile. I loved seeing him at Giant and we would always talk basketball. I will miss seeing him so much. My thoughts and prayers are with the Gearing family.
Posted by: Jeff Hawes | April 20, 2010 9:33 AM
My thoughts and prayers for the Gearing family. Lance was blessed to have your love and support. For us that knew Lance as a team mate, student, and friend truly saw him as a role model. My heart will ache at every Special Olympic game I host, but I will smile having been able to call Lance a friend.
Posted by: Ron Petrella | April 20, 2010 12:04 PM
My heart goes out to Joy, Don and Kim. Lance was a sweetheart - always a smile for us when we lived across the street in Sugarland. So very sorry. Love, Connie
Posted by: connie knight | April 20, 2010 3:28 PM
Everyone has already said what I'm thinking and feeling right now. Lance continues to be an inspiration to me and everyone who had the honor of knowing him. You will be missed, Lance.
Posted by: Kevin Finch | April 20, 2010 9:21 PM
To the Gearing Family,
We are deeply sorry for your loss. May God guide you in this time of need. Lance was an inspiration for all around him. He was one of the first Special Olympians that I had the opportunity to work with in my teaching career. What a delight it was to work with him! He always had a smile and a hello for you. God Bless you and know that Lance is home now.
Jenny and Ray Aubel
Posted by: Jenny and Ray Aubel | April 21, 2010 7:50 AM
When I saw the paper I couldn't believe it. My prayers are with the family! If you ever had met Lance you could never forget that smile it was truly one in a million! I used to coach Lance back in 1997 with my mom in basketball. He always had a smile and always loved to hear him laugh. He will always be remembered and will truly be missed. Again my thoughts and prayers are with the family.
Posted by: Sarah Myers | April 21, 2010 4:34 PM
Our broken hearts are filled with loving thoughts and prayers for Lance's family and other friends. His contagious smile and personality will live on in our rememberances. God must have needed Lance's unique compassion and joy to uplift Earth's other Angels --- all of our collective loved ones there in Heaven also. Lance will be remembered well, missed greatly and yet continue to inspire any and all of us who knew him well or just a little. May God encompass Lance's family and friends in comfort, love, light, and peace. XO
Posted by: Trish, Tara, & Kathryn Salgado | April 24, 2010 9:23 PM
