I miss lance he was a nice loving uncle and if he was still here I bet my family would be proud. I would ask if i can call him up every single day after school and I would probably ask him if he can come over to my house and ride the four wheelers with me and so my dad shane can have his brother around and hang out with him 

we miss you lance:):)

When your groomsman gets his tooth knocked out in a bar fight just before the wedding and you're Lance...just go with it!! Always having fun and laughing

When i first arrived to alaska from georgia i believe in 2002 lance shane and dad all welcomed me to alaska by throwing and shoveling snow at me. i was "traumatized" as anyone in a tank top comming to alaska would be. I was mad then but i always look back and laugh and think i wouldnt have wanted to be welcomed to a world of snow any other way. no matter what lance always made me feel loved. I may not have gotten to expirience a real sister brother relationship with him but the time i did have with him words could never do justice. Lance was the most happy go lucky person i knew.

Well one day after lance had been working on the three wheeler forever, he finally got it running. i remember i asked him if i could drive it and he let me but only with him on the back. I remember starting it up and pressing the throttle going down the gravel driveway and i guess i pressed the throttle a little too much well, lance went flying off the back as the three wheeler  became a two wheeler. He was a really good sport about it but needless to say i wasnt driving the three wheeler anymore .

     To some of us the loss of Lance is the most horrific experience of our lives.  Little by little, day by day maybe the spirit of love will reduce the anguish and suffering we are experiencing.  However the total loss of such a great man, a father, a son, a brother and a friend can never be replace.  I am greatful he come to share his great spirit.

I've known Lance for about nine years.  We met working for Watterson Construction....'asses and elbows' is all you saw;-)  We worked side by side for years pouring concrete.  He was a very hard worker and just easy to be around:-)   While working at the 'toxic gardens' Lance and I were both in the middle of having house projects, while working 58 plus hours a week.  He was building his new home and I was building a garage at my house.  Tired and overwhelmed with work and building a garage, I asked around if anyone could help me roll trusses and sure enough Randy and Lance were right there and said 'have everything ready and after work we'll help you knock it out'.  That next day after work they showed up with their tool bags on.  I was a little scared to be walking on framed walls about 12 feet up on just a 2X6....Lance and Randy pretty much ran up the ladder and were walking around up there like little monkeys.  Not a worry in the world those two....and here I was terrified of falling off.   After getting myself together, us three rolled the trusses and nailed the fascia on in about an hour--it was ready for plywood and a roof:):):)  I was so grateful and happy.  Lance was that type of guy.....always willing to help and lend a hand.  He had a big heart and always in good spirits. Thank you Lance for being you:-):-)  

One night my friend Angie and I snuck out of our houses at 1:00a.m. And walked all the way over to Lance’s house when we got there Lance opened the door and snuck us down stairs. We were all in Lance’s room, when all the sudden Randy opens the door. Lance put a blanket over Angie and I. Randy said, “I heard a girls voice.” Lance said right back to him, “no you didn’t, that was Philip.” Then Philip looked at Randy and said in a girl’s voice, “yeah that was just me.” Well Angie and I were drinking and could not control our laughter. Then about two hours later Randy came back down stair and he said, “If there are any girls down here you better make it home before the morning.” Randy totally knew we were there.

Lance took me to prom one year. He picked me up from my house in his beautiful shinny green Ford pickup truck. We were going just as friends but I wasn’t the kind of girl that got dressed up often, and Lance looked so nice in his red shirt and black tie. When Lance saw me I don’t think he knew what to say. We were driving to the Cookie Jar, and out of the blue Lance looked at me and said, “your’ boobies look really SWELL”. That was his funny way of saying I looked nice. He was so funny all of the time!

Lance and I happened to run into each other one night. I was with my ex-boyfriend and Lance asked if we needed a ride home. (Lance always looked out for me). So we jumped in his truck and started to drive down College Rd. Well this boy started saying something that Lance didn’t agree with. Lance pulled over the truck opened the passenger door and drug him out of the truck. After handing out a good beating Lance jumped back in the truck and the first thing he said to me was, “Do you want to go get some pancakes?” So, we drove to Denny’s restaurant and had pancakes. Lance was my best friend and always stood by my side, he was always there for me. He would never let anyone hurt me or make me upset, a true best friend!

My girlfriends and I went over to Lance’s house for his birthday party. All of us ended up playing in the gravel pit next to the Jorgensen’s house. Once again the boys were being boys beating up on each other, and picking on us girls. Well Zach somehow pulled down Lance’s pants and us girls saw his (pee-pee). Lance ran after Zach and started to give him a beating of a life time, Zach got a few licks in too. He was so upset but, now looking back, I can laugh.

The summer after Lance and I graduated high school, we worked for Fred Scott mowing lawns.  Mowing lawns all day, our minds would wander.  One of us would come up with an idea, and tell the other.  Our thoughts would bounce back and forth off each other, until finally, and idea would come to fruition.  This could start a lot of stories.......But, I already titled the story "First Day At Work For WCC." 

One day, riding on the Kabota lawn tractor, a thought hit me like a ton of bricks.  I pulled the tractor over, because my thought was so big I couldn't concentrate on anything else.  Deep in thought, Lance walked over and asked me what was up.  I told him we should go on a road trip to the lower 48.  It seemed like such a great idea.  18, the open road, no parents, freedom.  Not much was said, our imaginations were already on the open road.  The next week Janice went to the travel agency and we were buying tickets. 

Lance and I busted ass all summer saving every penny we could, which wasn't much.  We were getting paid good for what we were doing, but that still wasn't enough to save a lot.  A few weeks before our road trip was starting, Randy told us he needed a couple laborers to help place concrete.  He also told us about Davis-Bacon pay checks.  With no thought, we jumped on the opportunity! 

It was fall time, and I remember the air being crisp and cold at 7:00 in the morning.  Wearing steel-toe boots, hard-helmet, gloves, and saftey glasses felt akward, but we were excited.  The jobsite that we were working on was a barraks on Eielson Airforce Base.  My older brother Kaleb had been working for Watterson, and he was going to show us the ropes.  He had Lance and I running!  Our first task was to tent off one of the floors, so they could keep the concrete that we were going to place warm.  I remember feeling so lost, I had never worked construction.  I didn't even know the way around the building.  The tenting went smooth, but before we were done, concrete trucks started to show up!  We threw on our rain boots.  Our new job seemed simple enough.  All we had to do was pull on some ropes attached to a 4" hose full of concrete.  The man in charge was a giant red headed viking/lumber jack looking fellow named Sören.  We quickly found out that a 4" hose full of concrete is HEAVY!  We struggled, but we wanted to look tough.  Being the bosses son and son's friend meant we had a lot to prove.  I'm still not sure if all the guys were mad at Randy or they just wanted to tune us up on what was expected, but they were all over us.  I remember Brandon yelling and telling us to grab a rake to help level the mud.  We had no clue what flat concrete looked liked.  We weren't very good at it.  I think at one point Brandon told us to just use our feet and stomp the mud down!  Sweat and concrete stuck to our safety glasses and clothing.  All the while, Sören yelling "PULL THE HOSE BACK!"  While, a fellow nick-named Bubba was trying to tell us how to rake the concrete right with a southern-draw so strong it was hard to make out.  While, John Tate smoked a cigarette while he raked saying in his raspy voice "Rake you Cock-Suckers!"  Every now and then a rock would plug the hose, all hell would break loose.  Someone would go running for a sledge hammer to hit the hose at the plug.  When the rock finally freed, the hose like a shot gun, would blast rocks at whatever was infront of it.  After hours of exhausting work, Randy showed up with a bag of burgers from burger king.  I'll never forget him grabbing my rake from me and handing me a sandwhich.  I could of ate 50 burgers!  I finished it fast and got my rake back then Randy went to Lance and spelled him long enough to eat the burger.  The rest of the day was the same, but it felt like we were getting a grasp on what we were doing.  That day we worked 13 hours. No break, no real lunch, just a burger.  Riding home, I was beat.  It was the hardest either one of us have ever worked.  What had we gotten ourselves into?  For the next two weeks, Lance and I ran everywhere we went, we didn't know what we were doing, but we busted ass.  I like to think the guys were impressed by us, but I don't know for sure.  Pay day finally came.  It was our last day at work.  Looking at the pay check was amazing.  We made more money in two weeks, then we had saved all summer!

When Lance and I were in 7th and 8th grade we would ride our bikes to school, and most the time, we would ride our bikes to his house or mine when school was out.  One day, we decided we were going to race a school bus down the newly paved bike path that follows Badger Road.  Side by side, Lance and I pedaled as fast as we could down the bike path, trying to accelerate faster than the school bus could.  We were going 25 maybe 30 miles per hour, when Lances bike tire clipped my bike tire.  Our bikes became a tangled mess and in mid-air we sommersaulted down the bike path.  All of our peers that were on the bus saw what should have been in the top 10 worst bike accidents to ever happen.  Besides, maybe, the famous "Jim the kidnapper vs Lance on his bike" wreck.  Somehow, we jumped up like nothing happened.  Back on our bikes we hid our shame until I tried to pedal. My tires wouldn't even rotate a full turn.  Because, the rims were bent so bad.  We ended up walking the next 3 or 4 miles back to my house. 

It was the year of 2nd grade and I was a new student at Badger Road Elementary School.  I quickly learned that the playground mercy champion was a kid named Lance.  (If you don't know what "Mercy" is, it is a game that involves two people, interlocking hands, face to face. The goal is to twist the opponents hands hard enough that it hurts bad enough to make them say "Mercy.")  I had an older brother, Kaleb, and Lance had an older brother, Shane, so by age 7 we were both pretty schooled in the game of Mercy.  I challenged Lance to a friendly game of Mercy, and it quickly became very unfriendly.  The other kids on the playground stopped playing soccer, got off the swings, left the sand-box and gathered in a circle to watch the epic battle.  Our fingers dug deep, and our muscles strained as we wrenched each others joints, battling to hear the glorious word mercy.  Lance was tough and the match was long, but eventually he tired.  Lance let his guard down just long enough for me to get him in a submission hold.  He tried to escape but I was ruthless and pushed the limits on what I knew was a safe submission hold to a painful one.  "MERCY!!"  Lance exclaimed!!  As Lance collapsed to the blacktop the playground rejoiced!  Lifting me on to their shoulders, the kids chanted out "We have a new champion!!!" From that day on we were mortal enemies.  The mercy war continued everyday on the playground and ended the same way, until the fateful day that Lance learned how to beat me.  Like any other mercy battle, we lined up toe to toe, hand in hand, but this would be like no other battle before or after.  Lance had a look in his eye, he was out for blood and even though I was young I could recongnize the fact that I was going to have to give it my all.  I would have no mercy, or I would be begging for it myself.  The sweat beaded off our brows, as we contourted each others limbs, holding back the urge to just give in and say mercy.  Ohhh how easy it would have been, but we were both had too much to prove, not to the kids on the playground or even each other, but ourselves.  The match continued for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and finally 30 minutes!!  The bell rang and the other 2nd graders all ran inside to start class, but Lance didn't budge at the sound of the rings.  Neither did I.  The fatigue started to set in, and as our muscles began to tremor, Lance fell slowly to his knees.  I could feel victory approaching, but something strange happened.  He rose back to his feet and with the final energy he had, he unleashed his power move pushing back on my wrist and twisting in one fluid motion.  I tried to twist out, but was to exhausted.  I felt a sharp unbearable pain, then fell to my knees.  Mercy....Mercy.....I said.....I know that Lance would have liked to hear me say it one more time, but he let go, and then helped me up.  None of the kids on the playground saw Lance win.  Lance never got to bask in the glory.  Life was kind of like that for him, and eventhough people seldomly got to see the times Lance won, everyone respected him for not only being the guy that wouldn't give up even when something didn't go his way, but being a good sport.  I wasn't around when Lance fell into the fridged water, but I know what kind of person he was, and can only imagine what kind of force it had to of been to take him down.  We never played "Mercy" again after that day, something had changed between us.  We had become friends, but we never stopped competing. 

I met lance working with him and his dad at Watterson Construction. I was lucky to share adventures with him that I will never forget. We took snowmobile trips to Cantwell and kayaking trips to Denali.  I will never forget one trip it seemed like every hill he climbed or move he made he ended upside down or over the handle bars. This made me laugh and also think this guy is my kind of crazy. I feel lucky to have been able to share those trips with him.  During that same winter I asked Lance if he had ever white water kayaked. After watching him be upside down on his snowmobile I new he could do the same in a kayak. During the rest of the winter I showed him how to Eskimo Roll in the Hammy Pool during Monday night pool sessions. After every session we would go have one beer at Los Amigos and talk about kayaking and anything else that came to mind. Lance finally had a solid roll after the third session. From there we talked about what rivers we could start him on. That next summer sure enough we were heading to Denali with a group of friends to paddle section one of the Nenana River. This is a class 1-2 section just to get him warmed up. His wife Heather was also with us who was pregnant at the time. Lance did great. Knowing that he could handle himself on the river I asked him if he wanted to join me that next weekend to run the Canyon section. That following weekend Lance, Daton, Katie, and I were heading to Denali. Things didn't go ass good as the first trip. Lance ended up swimming four different times. It is hard to do a roll a kayak in glacier fed river water. It astonished me how focused he was to make it through a rapid without swimming. There was only one more rapid to go and sure enough he made it through and even got a roll in. It was a happy moment for everyone involved. In kayaking everyone has been where he was and we new the feeling of making it. I will never forget that moment. 

Here are things Lance said that I will never forget:

-Dale is going to Beat Down Soco

-Yoshi i want to karate chop your throat

-Bartender what is your name again (I think this was said 100 times in one night)

-Thank God Katie was there to save me

Lance always made me laugh and I feel lucky to have him as a friend. My heart goes out to his friends and family.  

Sorry I have no pics only memories.

DALE

I am Randy's cousin, Judy.  I have always felt a special bond with Randy, although as adults we rarely see one another.  I was on a bike tour in Colorado when my mom told me of Lance's death, and I took it pretty hard. The pain of losing a son is one that I cannot imagine. I spent many rides thinking of what I might say to Randy and his family when I was able to call and speak with them.  One day, on a particularly beautiful climb, I said to the peak I was about to summit; "Lance, if there is anything you want me to tell your family, please let me know".   (I often find myself talking out loud on challenging rides.)  I smiled, and pedaled on.  Upon reaching the summit, I circled back to meet up with friends still riding up the mountain.  When I reached the exact switchback where I had "talked" to Lance, a huge hawk swooped down and flew along side my left shoulder for a long while.  It may have been a huge coincidence,  I don't know, but I choose to think that Lance wants you all to know that he is, and always will be, right where you need him.  Flying above, protecting and watching over you all. 

So it was in beginning of NOV 2004 i was told i would be going to IRAQ and had to leave to go do like 4 months of traing then leave for IRAQ so me and Lance would go out like normaly did to go drink beer and play pool and be competative in who can win pool and drink more beer but this night was a bit different we didnt talk a whole lot just kind of look up at each other quit and just give a nod at each other and when we did talk it was about child hood memeories. Like playing war as kids or the booby trap phase we went through with eachother or how when we were little how one day we were boxing how he kneed me in the eye and broke a blood vessel but i always told him no you didnt never wanted to admit it still to this day. Then as the night went on and we go more beer in us we were just sitting there looking around and watching the people in the bar be fools and spend paychecks on pull tabs Lance just looks up at me and says "Shane i want to go with you to protect my big brother." I told him i would be fine and its not the little Brothers job to do that its big brothers job to protect little brother plus i told him if he was to go then i would spend all my time protecting him and when i had a job to do.Then we just had a momment for a few minates then laughed. He was one of a Kind and i am honnored to have  been able to call him my brother how may brothers would want to go to iraq to protect there older brother

miss him very much

One of my favorite memories from the last reunion.. good time.  Crawfishin will never be the same or Lake Powell for that matter. 

     In August, 2006, My daughter Edel and myself Uncle Kenny went to Alaska for the first time.  I don't know why it took me 20 years to get there.  I had been hearing stories about the house project from my Sister Janice for over a year.  Today was the day we would visit.  It was awesome.  I had trouble invision that a 22 year old could manifest such a Dream House. But there it was in full view 97% complete.  I was just bugged eyed looking around.  Unbelievable,  but it  was a family and friends build house.  So I went back the other day June 29, 2011 and I heard the story how Lance was playing hockey in the sunken living room a few weeks ago and broke a window and a few hearts.

From the time Lance was a little boy he always made me laugh, He always had big plans and dreams from jet packs to Ligers ( It was a great day when he found out that there was actually a liger). Lance could wear the floor out pacing back and forth describing his big ideas, I always thought he would invent something big.

When Lance finished high school he went on a road trip with Zach and Ryan, They bought and totaled a Camaro for Kaleb, who falls asleep with the cruise control at 80 and all walk away?, they visited a few of the southwest national parks, who hikes to the bottom of the grand canyon and back to the top in the same day?

Lance took a trip to Costa Rica on his own where he had an adventure and close call of a liftime(but thats another story), also a few trips to Mexico, one trip with Timmy and his family, I think a couple of over the borders with Zach and to Cancun alone, Who goes to Cancun without a place to stay?I believe it was the Cancun trip that Lance figured out that Las Vegas was the best place to loose hard earned money.

Lance and Heather went to Puerto Rico, I'm sure this was more planned and organized... well planned and organized period.

There was some great family vacationsHawaii,Colorado river,Caribbean cruise, Maine,Boston, Washington to meet and visit Heathers grandparents that live remote, and of course lake powell.

When Lance worked it was full speed ahead, and when he played it was with reckless abandon and full throttle,he had alot of good adventures and was right on the edge of life more than once, If he could have changed his life I dont believe he would have other than June 16th 2011.

Lance made me laugh, Lance made me crazy with worry, but most of all Lance made me love him with everything I had, I will miss him and think of him everyday for the rest of my life.

You just never know who your going to run into at the Howling Dog Saloon. We found Lance and Heather there on Holloween night '09. As was always the case, Lance had us laughing in no time at all. I sent this photo to my Brother Jim and he asked why Heather wore a costume and Lance didn't.

Lance also knew all the answers from the moment he could form a sentence.

I had the pleasure of teaching Lance when he was a young boy.  He was inquisitive, kind, compassionate and loving.  He always tried his best, even if it was a struggle.  He had a quick sense of humor and a great laugh.  He was well liked by all.  Lance Jorgensen was a delightful young man.  He will be missed by all who knew him.

Pat Goldsmith 

In 2004 as we headed to Lee's Ferry to launch for a float on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon we stopped at the store at Marble Canyon for our last chance to buy stuff before getting wet for 8 days. Lance came out with a T shirt with a map of the river on it. As it turned out that map was the only one we had that was waterproof. So as we went downriver we would ask Lance where we were or what rapid was next and he would show us the map on his chest. I think it was decided we would get lost  if Lance took that shirt off. So, as far as I remember he wore that shirt every day we were on the river. It must have worked because the river took us where we were going and not once did we get lost.

It was my 16th birthday and the boys keep asking me what I wanted for my birthday. I didn’t want them to get me anything so I finely said, “I want a dinosaur.” Thinking they would never be able to come up with a dinosaur.  Well Lance said over and over, “I will get you a dinosaur.” The night of my birthday all the boys showed up at my house and told me there was a present for me in the back of the truck. So I went out there and found…. A HUGE DINOSAUR HEAD that covered the whole back of the truck. Well the night before Lance, Philip, and Zach drove to ‘Hawks Greenhouse in North Pole’ and cut the head off a huge life size dinosaur. It was made out of chicken wire and some kind of moss like plant, and had a big speaker in its mouth. Lance was always the smart one out of the group (haa’haa boys) so he wrote with spray paint on the grass “LHS” trying to make it look like some kids from Lathrop High School came and stole it. After that, Hawks Greenhouse’s commercial on the radio changed to ‘the home of the headless dinosaur.’ That was the best birthday ever!

Thanks for all the good crazy memories Lance!    

A different day then the last story we were all at the school again playing softball and Lance climbed the fence behind the batters plate, and hung by his feet. I was so scared and screaming for him to come down. But he knew he was strong enough; he could have hung there for days. Lance laughed so hard at me, still hanging by his feet. He always was a monkey when it came to climbing things.

When we were 16 years old we would go play softball at my old school, all day long. Lance would always scream out the funniest things at people right when they were up to bat, to make the person miss the ball. One time Lance said something about Zach’s Mom, and Zach chased Lance around the whole school. Lance just keep screaming funny one-liners at him, in his funny guy voice.

It was so funny that Zach couldn't grab him.

     We were in Lake Powell and Sue had bought huge water guns. At the moment I had a hold on one and was trying very hard to nail Lance, because earlier that day he had tossed me in the lake fully dressed. 

     I finally had him in the right place to get a good shot at his head, but right when I shot he ran inside and dodged the shot. Sue was busy making dinner  and got the blast full in the face. And yet again I found myself being tossed in the water. Lance scores again!

It was our last day in Lake Powell and my dad, Jarred, me and Lance had gone out across the little inlet to find some rocks to jump off.  We walked up a rocky hill and finally we found an over hang that was a perfect size to jump off.  Jarred (being the dare-devil that he was) just ran up and launched himself into the crystel clear water.  Lance and my dad were still up there deciding whether or not they should jump.  Lance carelessly dropped the F-bomb in front of my sisters and I and my dad scolded him and gave him the evil eye.  I couldn't help but laugh.  Finally Lance just ran and jumped off and boy he made a funny face.  My dad went off after and I went down to a lower rock and jumped off.  I know this is kind of a random story but nothing in Lake Powell really stands out.  it is all just a bunch of fun and fooling around.  And if there was ever a place where Lance would belong it would be in Lake Powell because "fun and fooling around" is Lance's middle name.  One of the only images in my head of Lance is him, sitting on the back of the house boat, drinking a beer, and giving us all his goofy smile that we will all keep in our hearts.