Lanse Fisk

1947 - 2020

Lanse Yates Fisk
May 21, 1947 - December 19, 2020
With the heaviest of hearts, we share the news that Lanse Yates Fisk passed away on December 19, 2020 in her home in Hillsborough, CA, surrounded by family. Lanse was born in Santa Cruz, CA on May 21, 1947 and remained close to the beach her entire life. She graduated from Santa Cruz High School and University of California, Santa Barbara. After spending a transformative year abroad in Italy for her final year of college, her love of travel was born and she quickly found a job that would keep her on the move - she became an international flight attendant with TWA. In 1976, she married her husband of 31 years, Oliver "Skip" Fisk III, who predeceased her in 2007. Shortly after they married, they bought the home in Hillsborough where she spent the next 45 years nourishing her family with her spectacular cooking, creating a warm and inviting space for all those who entered, and cultivating her beloved garden and roses. She and Skip continued to travel, but by far her favorite adventure was time spent in the mountains with family. After taking time off to raise her daughter Kylie, Lanse went back to work part time at Innisbrook Wraps, helping schools with their fundraising efforts and teaching us all how to wrap 18 shirt boxes with one roll of wrapping paper. She excelled at her job and more importantly, made lifelong friends. Always active in the local schools and her community, she was known for her consistent volunteerism and famous peanut butter cookies. Her final, and arguably most favorite role, was that as a Grammy. She delighted in her Fridays in Mill Valley and was so very proud and energized by watching her five grandchildren grow. Her family and friends were the loves of her life. She lived her life in service to others and will be remembered for her nurturing spirit, supreme generosity and commitment to family. A life-long sports fan, fierce bridge player, and mom to all - her positivity, enthusiasm and joy of life will be missed deeply by everyone who knew her. Lanse is survived by her daughters, Kylie Maddex and Vicky Kopitske; sister and brother-in-law, Jennifer and Dennis Tietz; sons-in-law, Jesse Maddex and Andy Kopitske; grandchildren, Cooper and Grant Maddex, and Nicholas, Jacob and Michael Kopitske; niece and nephews, Griffin and Morgan Tietz and Ron and Bob Summers; and partner of seven years, Bob Mahlstede. Lanse is preceded in death by her husband, Skip Fisk; her brother, James Yates; her parents, Jack and Suzanne Yates; and her sister-in-law, Betty Summers.
With respect to the current state of the world and the ability to properly honor Lanse's wishes, a celebration of life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer (go2foundation.org) and/or Filoli (filoli.org) in support of two things Lanse held most dear: accelerating the advancement of scientific progress, and her passion for making the world a more beautiful and peaceful place through flowers.