LanceSeb

Lance and I first met on a local "bbs" which is where a person would have a computer at his house with four or five phone lines connected and outside people could connect through that device. It was nowhere as extensive as the internet but had it's similarities at the same time. It was during the summer and I would get in from work around 11:00pm and check my e-mail on the computer. Well there was one day a "instant message" popped up on my monitor from a person with the screen name of "Toby" We were the only two people on the system at the same time that night and he asked me if I would like to play a game of chess. I agreed and got my ass kicked three times in a row. but I still had a good time playing. though at first we started as chess partners we ended up just talking. I was like geesh I don't believe I am sitting here having a conversation with a 13 year old. But I had nothing better to do so I would sit there and talk and he would tell me about his day, what he and his friends did, what new hockey cards he got when he went to the store. Later that summer we talked for the first time by telephone and i totally lost track of time. for someone that young he spoke as intellengtly as if i were talking to someone my age. I kinda took to the little guy and eventually got to know the rest of the family as well. It was till a year or two that I actually went over and met them in real life.

They have moved from their aprtment off Woodman Drive in Kettering and Moved into another on Horton Street in East Dayton. As Lance and I have talked frequently over the last year or two he told me about his moving and everything else. One day I was driving down Third Street in Dayton I noticed that I passed a street named Horton. I knew that I knew that street name from somewhere and then it hit me about three blocks later. that is where Toby (Lance) lives. I turned around and went down the street and went to their house. I knocked and Lance was the one that came to the door. I knew his name was Lance but I asked if Toby was there because that is what I was used to knowing him as. well he instantly recognized my voice and told me to come on in. it is interesting seeing people for the first time that you know so well from talking online and over the phone. Well it came to pass that about once to once every two weeks Lance and I would go out and do something together. I kinda related to him much like a little brother thing. We would go out and eat, go to CD stores, you know. We usually had our best time when we were eating. He was very inquizative and we also touched on some deep subjects. lol ... we have even solved the world hunger problem over dinner before.

Lances Mom had the opportunity to rent her sisters house in Carlisle, Ohio so she did in 1996ish She was anxious to get her kids out of Dayton Public Schools. Right at about the same time we all moved to Franklin and I got a job working in Carlisle about one block away from where they moved to. When we were first talking we lived 25 - 30 minutes away from them. There was a gas station / convienience store located right between where they lived and where I worked and I would run into Lance and his mom sometimes three times a day down there. I used to joke with Lance that had we never of met on the computer that I would have seen him in that store never knowing that would have been friends if circumstances were different. I used to go over and visit with Lance and his whole family. Sometimes I would stop over everyday after work. Lance and I still did alot of the same things we used to. Lance had later grown to depend on me as somewhat of his psychologist. Things would get him down and he would call me. I would say .. ah you need some chineese food. We would go and tie up a table there for three hours and just talk and I would get Lance's head back on straight and he was always in a better mood. I have always been somewhat of a pep-talker. The family environment was always a good one at the Moreland house. Peggy, Lances mom, was very busy making dinner, helping with homework, or loading up the kids to take them somewhere or to one of the games. It seems like the whole family was involved in Baseball and at this time Sean and Frankie were playing. Peggy was usually the loudest ones in the bleachers and if I came late to a game it was very easy to find her ... All I had to do was listen. In the evenings outside of the noise of Sean and Frankie rough-housing you could find us all playing games in which euchre was the all time favorite. I was the one that introduced the card game golf which became quite popular too.

The basis for Lances and my friendship was based on conversation. We always lost track of time when we talked. One of Lances favorite things was the internet. He would be on that thing constantly. he loved to play interactive games, chat rooms and it was on the internet that he found true love .... ah yes Crystal ... they talked on the internet and on the phone for over a year. His one big dream was to go over there and be with her. He tried like everything and after about a year and a half they went their separate ways. They still managed to talk and knew that they would be together forever someday. But till then they would see other people. Crystal always had a special place in Lances heart and vice versa. Though Lance was dating other girls he never felt about any of them like he felt towards Crystal. His most recent girlfriend was Jessica before he passed away so suddenly. Anyways ... back to his love of the internet, that is why I am sitting here tirelessly giving his passing and memory an online pressence so that those that never got to meet him in person could get a feel for the spirit of the person that was my friend.

Well it looks as I am quickly running out of room so it looks like there is definately going to be a part two to this story. I know the grammer is not the best but I will be perfecting this page as I go along and read it. Well I will give more info on Lance as much as I can on other links involved with this site.

I will miss you my friend .. you were like a brother to me and all the other people around me that you knew. Me, Jason, Tim, Tom, David, TJ, Travis, and Bryan will miss you beyond measure. One thing we all used to do alot is go out and play Lazer tag. My last night around you was the night before you dies and the last words you said to me we're Love you too bro. I thank God that was my last memory of you before you went to the other side and wait for the day when we all get up there to join you. God bless you Lance as God has chosen one of the most wonder people I know to serve him up there in some capacity. I still have so much to say there probably will be a part two. David Sebastian Stewart