Lance W Girton

Oakwood- Lance W Girton, 75, of Salt Lake City, Utah, formerly of Oakwood, IL passed away at 9:00 PM on July 3, 2018 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL. Lance was born on July 20, 1942, the son of John E. and Barbara E. (Woollard) Girton in Brazil, IN. Lance is survived by his two sons; Derek Girton of Oakwood, IL and Lance Alan Girton of Salt Lake City, UT, one brother; Jerald (Jackie) Girton of Oakwood, IL, and one sister; Janis Dunn of Oakwood, IL, one brother-in-law; Ray Dunn of Savoy,IL, two grandsons; Zack Girton and Kyle Girton, both of Oakwood,IL, two nieces; Alicia (Jimmie) Evans of St. Joseph, IL and Kristi (Ryan) Dreher of Phoenix, AZ, two great nieces; Taylor Zaccarelli and Callie Evans, both of St. Joseph, IL, one great nephew; Cole Zaccarelli of St. Joseph, IL, as well as a large extended family and friends. Lance is preceded in death by his parents, a brother; John E Girton and a daughter-in-law; Laura Girton. Lance graduated from Oakwood Township High School in 1960. He received his BA in Economics from Southern Illinois University in 1964 and his PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1976. He was a member of the American Economics Association. From 1968 to 1969 he was an Economics instructor with Elmhurst (IL) College. 1969-1971 he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Michigan Technical University in Houghton, MI. 1971-1978 he was an advisor to a chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. 1977-1978 Lance was a visiting economics professor at the University of Utah. From 1983-1984 he was an economics professor at Penn State University in State College, PA. And from 1985 to his retirement in 2014 he was Professor of Economics at University of Utah. Following his retirement he served as Professor Emeritus and continued to advise doctoral students. During his time at University of Utah he acted as a consultant to many of the top financial institutions in the US. Lance, throughout his career, co-wrote and published several studies related to international finance that established him as one of the most highly regarded economists in that field. There were many things that brought Lance great joy in life. He was a lifelong reader and learner and loved to discuss current events in the US and the world and their effects on the economy, whether it was with his friends in Utah over salmon and wine or on Derek and Laura's sunporch or on the front porch of the family home in Oakwood. He enjoyed taking drives on country roads and visiting cemeteries to learn the history of different areas. He camped and hiked in the deserts and mountains of the west, and with his brothers, visited several "Viewmaster" sights from childhood. Lance enjoyed supporting his grandsons' interests, whether it was sports, business theory, coaching or smoking meats. He spent hours outside at his home in Utah with Lance Alan turning his yard into a lush Illinois oasis in the middle of the desert. Lance stayed close to many childhood friends and treasured the time he was able to spend with them when he was visiting in Oakwood. He valued his family as evidenced by the time he spent with them wherever they were, Oakwood, Arizona or Indiana. And he loved basketball both as an observer and a participant, playing until his late 60s. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 3940 N. Vermilion St, Danville, IL. Rev. Samuel Johnson will officiate. Burial will be in Stearns Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at the funeral home. Memorials may be made in Lance's memory to the John Girton Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of the Foundation Dept. of Danville Area Community College, Danville (IL) or St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Please join Lance's family in sharing memories, photos and videos on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.

Visitation Jul 11, 2018 Wednesday, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunset Funeral Home & Cremation Center 3940 N Vermilion st Danville, Il 61834 Celebration of Life Jul 12, 2018 Thursday, 10:00 AM Sunset Funeral Home & Cremation Center 3940 N Vermilion st Danville, Il 61834 Final Resting Place Stearns Cemetery 3131 e 1800 north road Fithian, IL 61844