James Lance McCullough

Lance was born in Pittsburgh on August 31, 1939. He grew up in Bethesda, attended BCC, Duke University and the University of Maryland. He was the cross country and track coach while teaching at Wheaton High School. He was very proud of the teams' several Montgomery County and State Championships in both sports. When he went to work for Macmillan Publishing Company, he would say he "peddled books and reference works" in schools and libraries
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Lance lived a great life. He was so fortunate to have had a loving wife, Libby; a fabulous daughter, Karen Stewart; and a very special son-in-law, Scott Stewart; aka "a work in progress" an upgrade from "what's his face". When Karen started dating Scott (back in 1985), Lance couldn't keep his name straight. He was very proud of his two grandsons, Dalton and Riley and all of their accomplishments in cross country, lacrosse and college.
Besides his family, golf, traveling and the beach were his passions. He started to play golf at the age of eight and played for over 70 years. It is believed he played well over 5,000 rounds of golf. Many of these rounds were at Chantilly National Country Club where he was a member "since there were cows" over 50 years.
In spite of being "on the road" several days a week for more than 40 weeks a year, he was always ready to get back on a plane to travel to foreign countries. He and Libby were fortunate enough to have visited many countries around the world and a number of places in the U.S. His favorite place was St. Barth's where Lance enjoyed rose wine, French food and topless beaches. not necessarily in that order. It is appropriate that he died during "Halloween season" as he loved to go to, and participate in, Fantasy Fest - a week-long adult Halloween party in Key West.
His goal this year was to watch the Olympics, to celebrate his 85th birthday and his 61st wedding anniversary, and to watch the election. He voted early but will miss the results. He was an avid Redskin fan and was able to watch the most amazing Hail Mary in history at the end of the Commanders game against the Bears shortly before he died. He died November 3, 2024, within minutes of being told that the Commanders had beaten the Giants and Dallas had lost. He was a happy man.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a contribution to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice. The family has been reminiscing and telling "Lance stories". They look forward to reading your favorite memories. Please share below.
A Celebration of Lance's life will be held at a later date.