passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Lansing was born on May 17, 1949 in St. Louis. He graduated from Ladue High School and the University of Missouri before proudly serving his country in the United States Navy. After completing his military service, he built a successful career in advertising.
Loving son of the late William and Phyllis Hecker (nee Gervig); dearest father of Emily A. Corley and Patrick P. Hecker; dear grandfather of Amelia “Mia”, Amelyn, and Aurora “Auri”; beloved brother of Bill (Nancy), Hans (Marilyn), Fred (Marcia) and John (Cheryl) Hecker; our dear uncle, cousin and friend of many.
Lansing served as the Honorary Consul for the Federal Republic of Germany from 2004 until 2017. Lansing was also a founding member of the German American Heritage Society. He served as GAHS President for many years and was dedicated to the preservation of the history and heritage of his German forebears.
Lansing will be remembered for his generosity, sense of humor, and unwavering love for those closest to him.
Visitation Monday, August 10, 11:30 a.m. until Service 12:30 p.m. at KUTIS AFFTON CHAPEL, 10151 Gravois Rd. Interment with military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.
Miss your daily texts or conversation with me and your visits with the girls.
Lance was my boss at D’Arcy, Manaus & Masious Ad Agency in St .Louis. He was smart and gracious – and I’ll always remember his his kind of “giggle laugh.”
Rest in peace Lance — and love the hat.
🙏❤️
I love that, thanks so much for sharing it. 🥲 I agree, he was smart and gracious and had the best laugh!
Very sad to hear of Lansing passing away.
He represented the German community with a great deal of class and honor.
As the President of the Saint Charles Oktoberfest, i had many opportunities to witness his dedication.
He really seemed to enjoy the “tapping of the barrel” & the official kick off of the festival.
Thank you for your years of service!! RIP
You have our condolences On the loss of your dear brother…
May he Rest in Peace…
Thank you Chuck and Roxie, we appreciate your support.
Lansing was a loved and one of a kind person! His Walmart family misses his Bright smile. Our conversations made my day
Thank you, he loved working there! And looked forward to assisting customers!!!
I first met Lance in 1969 at Mizzou. He was in the Naval ROTC unit and I had just returned from Vietnam to go to graduate school and was receiving some recognition at the Navy unit. We re-met in 1975 when my wife and I moved to St. Louis to work at Gardner Advertising where Lance also worked. We became fast friends. Lance introduced me to fly fishing which remains my favorite hobby to this day. We traveled together all over the country fishing and hunting. In the early 1980’s, we both moved from Gardner to D’Arcy Advertising together. In the late 1980’s, D’Arcy Advertising was folding so, we went in together to purchase a small promotional ad agency called Creative Solutions. We were partners for sixteen years. Lance went out on his own in the early 2000’s and I retired around 2012.
Lance loved his family. At our periodic lunches after Creative Solutions shut down, I followed the careers of his son Patrick and daughter Emily (my Goddaughter) and the grandkids. Lansing’s dedication to the German American Society was complete and his work as German Honorary Counsel was nothing but fun for him. I got a detailed running commentary on the trips Joan and he took to Germany as guests if the German Ministry.
Lance, I will miss the fishing trips the most. The trips trout fishing at Rockbridge with your Dad and the dozens of trips with just the two of us (and, yes, you caught more fish than I did). However, the trip to Wyoming where we nearly froze to death is also on the unforgettable list.
Lance, we had a long friendship that ended too soon. Rest in peace.
Condolences to the Hecker family. I’m sorry I was unable to attend the funeral Monday Aug 10th. I had a previously scheduled outpatient surgery scheduled at the V.A. hospital.
I first met Lance when I was in high school at Pattonville in 1965 and Jim Metcalf and I were forming a band. Jim recruited Lance to join on guitar and vocals and we formed “The Brogues”. For the next two years we played school dances, CYC dances, private parties and even a couple of bars. (Even though we were under age.) In the summer of 1967 we changed the name of the band to “The St. Louis County Road Project” and we finished second in the National Tea Association regional battle of the bands in St. Louis.
You can see a video of us at Starlight Ballroom in St. Louis in 1966 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5YAP_pCH6k
After H.S. graduation we parted ways as Jim and I went into the Air Force and Lance went into the Navy and college and later on to work and family life. So we lost touch for several years. But as we got older Lance, Jim and I got back in touch and Lance recently started coming out to see me play with the Billy Peek Band. I last saw Lance at our gig at the Funny Bone St. Charles in June. R.I.P. Lance.
Thanks Gene! Lance spoke very highly of you. I did see Terry Smith at the wake yesterday. Very sad of him passing when the procedure was simple outpatient.
Joan
Ach, wie schade! I would have loved to have made his acquaintance. I’m just starting to devour a fourth book on the 1848 Revolution. What an amazing saga of courage and stubborn convictions: both sides of the Atlantic and apparently also through the generations. I’ll be at the Hambach castle in about a month, and will raise a toast to the entire Hecker family.