Community Mourns 'Volunteer of the Year'

Lisa Lancaster was a familiar face in Lake Forest.

From Relay for Life to the Kiwanis Club, it was rare occasion that she wasn't lending a helping hand to volunteer efforts around the city.

She died Oct. 26 after battling cancer. She was 52.

Those who knew Lancaster say she was an integral part of the city's Parade Committee for four years and a committee chair for the Lake Forest Relay for Life from 2006 to 2010. Lancaster was an active member of Kiwanis, serving as its president for a time and helping the community-service club win multiple awards for its float entries in the city's Fourth of July parade.

In 2010, she and her husband of 16 years, Rick Lancaster, were recognized as Lake Forest's "Volunteers of the Year."

On Nov. 1, the Lake Forest City Council adjourned its meeting in remembrance of Lancaster's contributions to the city.

"We will miss her sense of humor, her 'we can do it' spirit, her smile, her beautiful face...but most of all we will miss her friendship," shared Margie Matsil, a close friend of Lancaster's. "When Lisa was your friend, she was your friend all the way."

Matsil recalls a treasured keepsake that Lancaster gave her for her birthday that exemplifies the kind of person she was. 

"A bunch of us friends went bowling back in 2008 and we took a picture. Lisa took a print of that picture, framed it and added a quote on the bottom and then gave the picture to me as a birthday present," she said.

At the bottom of the photo, Lancaster put a quote by Edward Everett Hale, a 19th-century American author and historian: “The making of friends, who are real friends, is the best token we have of a man's success in life.”

"Based on this quote, Lisa was a tremendous success in her life," Matsil said. "We will all miss Lisa very much, but we are better people for having crossed our lives with hers."

Funeral Information

Born: Nov. 20, 1958

Died: Oct. 26, 2011 

She is survived by her loving husband Rick Lancaster, daughter Jade Moran, brothers Dr. Mitch Curry and Ken Curry, and her step-mother Ann Curry.

Memorial services are scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Chapel Pacific Hills at 24481 Moulton Pkwy. in Laguna Woods.