Antoine Lansing Albin Sr.

Antoine Lansing "Lance" Albin, 66, of Magnolia, Arkansas died Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at his home in the Lydesdale Community. He was born March 21, 1943 in Independence, Louisiana to the late Antoine Willis and Audis (Hoover) Albin and was also preceded in death by his grandson, Antoine Wilson Albin "Will", a sister, Catherine Smith, brother, Hugh Lee Albin, and a nephew, Byron Albin. Lance was an active church member of the New Hope Baptist Church in the community of the 4th Ward, Louisiana and where he moved from 22 years ago with his wife Faye and son, Antoine. He has belonged and was an active member in the Lydesdale United Methodist Church and also attended the Village Baptist Church. He was retired from Albemarle and served in the United States Army during Vietnam. Lance served on the Lydesdale Water Association Board, was an active chairperson for the Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation District until December 2009, served as President of the Columbia County Cattleman's Association, served on the Board of Farm Bureau, his illness put him as an inactive member of the Gideon's. Lance and Faye were married 45 years. He was a very happy man, husband, father, brother, grandfather called "PawPaw", he loved his family dearly and the friends he had met over a 22 year period in Magnolia and the ones he had in the 4th Ward community in Louisiana. One thing, Lansing enjoyed in his retirement, was going to Dairy Queen or McDonald's to have breakfast and coffee with the men to "shoot the bull" and straighten everything up in Columbia County. His greatest activity he enjoyed for Magnolia and Columbia County was being a member of the Cattleman's Association. He loved people young and old and he never met a stranger. He loved selling the four wheeler tickets, Buffaloe's II would always fix the drawing box for the tickets and another thing was the Blossom Festival with the Cattleman's booth. He was there at the beginning until the end of it. What brought the biggest smiles and happiest moments for him, was hearing his name called "PawPaw" by his four beautiful grandchildren. They were his heart, Lindsey, Samuel, Rachel, and Lance III. Lansing loved life. He will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Faye Albin of Magnolia; one son, Antoine Albin and wife Ashley of Mt. Pleasant, Texas and children, Samuel, Lance, Lindsey, and Rachel Albin; brother, Willis J. Albin and wife Mary Lou of Bush, Louisiana; sisters, Margaret Clement and husband Carroll of Hammond, Louisiana, Esther Sandifer and husband John of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Patsy Lee of Greensburg, Louisiana, Helen Dee Rawlins of Kingsport, Tennessee, and Linda Fay Stewart and husband Chester of Independence, Louisiana; numerous nieces and nephews he loved dearly and numerous friends in Louisiana and Magnolia. Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at Lewis Chapel with Bro. Clay Dickson officiating and assisted by Rev. Mark Lasater under the direction of Lewis Funeral Home, Inc. of Magnolia. Visitation will be Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Sam Magliolo, Michael Trent, Gammye Moore, E.W. Hickman, John Langley, Herman "Bim" Sharp, Jr., Avery Sharp, and Byron Sharp. Honorary pallbearers will be Roy Miller, Wayne Griffeth, Charles Milner, Jerrel Hunt, Newman Sullivan, Jackie Purvis, Glenn Gill, The men for coffee at DQ and McDonald's, the men of Lydesdale United Methodist Church, and the men of Village Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Cancer Research, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.