David Lanning – April 13, 1953 – Jan. 26, 2020
David D. Lanning, 66, of Springfield, Ore., died Jan. 26, 2020 of a sudden heart attack.
He was born in Yreka, Calif., the son of Jesse and Audrey Lanning. His family relocated to Springfield when he was three, and he attended Brattain and Page Elementary schools, Briggs Jr. High, and Thurston High School.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from the University of Oregon. He also attended what was then Northwest Christian College.
In 1978 he married Pamela Parmenter at Eugene Faith Center in Eugene, Ore. They moved to Seattle, where he worked for Boeing, then for Bumstead-Woolford Co. as a piping engineer. In 1982 he left engineering to enter full-time ministry and successfully planted Columbia Foursquare Church in Richland, Wash.
In 1995 David returned to Springfield to become senior pastor of Springfield Faith Center, where he was still serving at the time of his death. He traveled extensively, training and encouraging pastors and missionaries.
He was an active member of the Springfield Rotary Club, having served as president, and was a frequent volunteer at Hamlin Middle School. He was also a founding board member of City of Refuge International, which serves orphans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lanning enjoyed music, and some of his favorite artists were Sting, Michael Jackson and the Beatles. He enjoyed hiking, biking, camping and reading out loud with his wife. His happy place was anywhere there was the sound of running water, but especially the beach. He liked being in places he had never been before and experiencing other cultures, and his passport showed it.
He had a great interest in the early history of the Bible in English and had a collection of books from the late 1400s through the 1700s. His grandchildren, however, were his greatest joy.
He leaves his beloved wife, Pamela; son Daniel (Lynsie); daughter Rachel; son Jeffrey (Meagan); and son Jonathan, all of Springfield. He also leaves a brother, Robert Lanning (Cheryl) of Springfield; two sisters, Patricia Ross (Bill) and Pamela Perdue (Jim), both of the Portland area; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Eugene Faith Center in Eugene. Donations in memory of Lanning may be made to cityofrefugeinternational.org or the Missions fund at Springfield Faith Center.
