Lance Brandon Engle

Lance Engle of Mountain View, CA passed away unexpectedly on March 1, 2023, at the far too young age of 50.
Born in Red Bluff, CA to Verna and Noble Engle in July of 1972 (and immediately dubbed their favorite son), Lance had all the love, support, and caring needed to grow into a funny, creative, kind-hearted man.
Never one to follow the beaten path, Lance graduated Chico State and promptly moved to Seattle, WA to pursue a career in computer science. Once there, he worked for various companies including Microsoft while living with Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Tim, and cousin Natalie; galavanting with an eclectic group of friends; and making weekend trips to Vancouver, BC to see his future wife, Laryssa.
Right before the dot-com bubble burst, Lance moved back to California settling in the Bay Area in Mountain View. After a short time at a small start-up, Lance landed a software engineer position at Lucasfilm where he built systems tools that were used to create films and shows like Eragon, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and the Clone Wars. (He also enjoyed many a coffee at Javva the Hutt.)
Ever thoughtful, Lance acted as product manager, software developer, and QA tester, taking into consideration all the needs of the teams and end users he worked with. Pursuing his passion for software and cameras, Lance went on to work at Skybox (on satellites!) and then at Google (on 3-D modeling!).
Lance did not live an average life. He routinely traveled to the Nile Empire, the darkest, deepest dungeons of Rizrak's empire, and even space. Yes, he was an accomplished dungeon-master and had a unique talent for storytelling and dealing with his friends' penchant for plot disruption seamlessly. He also routinely accompanied his family on trips to less-exotic locales like Monterey, Hawaii, and Georgian Bay.
Taking fashion cues from no one, Lance sported geek-chic hairstyles ranging from mutton chop sideburns to luscious shoulder-length locks (he liked to mix it up). He enjoyed recreational math (something that befuddled his family). And, he was known for his artistic talent that included 60 second sketches and numerous meticulously painted models (we are grateful that he lives on in his art).
Lance is survived by his wife of 23 years, Laryssa Polika-Engle, and his proudest accomplishments, his children Aizlyn and Griffin. Additionally, he is survived by his parents Verna and Noble; his sisters Megan Quinn, her husband Jonathan, and Amber Grady, her children Parker and William; his in-laws Louise and Julian Polika; aunts; uncles; cousins; his second family – the "Gringle" clan – and his many friends.
Our love for Lance lives on. A celebration of his life will be held on April 1, 2023 beginning at 11:00am at the Social Hall in the Senior's Center,266 Escuela Ave, Mountain View CA 94040