Lanse H. Dill, 76, of Marinette, was received into the arms of the Lord on September 24th, 2026, surrounded by family and Ella, his beloved schnauzer. He was born November 28th, 1949, in Menominee, Mich., to the late Henry and Eva Mae (Parrett) Dill. Lanse graduated from Menominee High School and earned his associate degree in Conservation Technology from UW-Oshkosh. As a teen, he worked as a tree trimmer and was employed by the Honda shop in Menominee. He worked for Kimberly-Clark for 30 years, serving the latter part of his career as a clamp truck operator in the shipping department.
On August 5th, 1995, he married the love of his life, Karen K. Dill. The pair enjoyed a life filled with love, family and schnauzers. As a middle-aged couple, time was spent skiing, camping and golfing. In retirement, they traveled to Cape Coral, Fla., where they enjoyed new friends and adventures during the winter months. They always supported their busy children and grandchildren in their musical and sporting pursuits. Ordinary days and holidays were always celebrated when together with family.
While family was Lanse’s true passion, he was also an avid outdoorsman. Slaying brookies and chasing whitetails at “Camp Middle” were among his favorite activities. His storytelling was second to none, even over a game of cards, which he’d manage to win more often than not. He was a fan of professional sports teams in Michigan and Wisconsin, a veritable statistician and historian on many other topics. He had a panache for good cheese, sausage and Gary’s bacon. He was always excited to share and introduce others to the good things in life.
Lanse is survived by his wife Karen Dill, one daughter, three stepdaughters and six grandchildren: Melissa (Bill) Huber, and sons Grady and Isaac of Green Bay, Tiphanie (Ed) Benoit and son Ethan of Macomb, Mich., Jodi (Mark) Kerscher and children Elise, Brody, Braylen and stepson Jordan (Morgan) of De Pere, and Sarah Keller. He is further survived by one brother, Gary (Audrey) Dill, sister-in-law Suzie (Richard) Moyers, close cousin Neil (Ann) Dill and “outdoors son” Josh Kotaniemi of Marquette, Mich.
In addition to his parents, Lanse was preceded in death by his ex-wife, Nancy (Nelson) Benchley, sister, Kathleen (Dill) Peterson and “outdoors brother” Steve Kotaniemi.
The family would like to thank: Lori Milbach, Dawn Vincent, Cornerstone caregivers, Unity Hospice, Bellin Memorial Hospital staff, Pastor Amanda Kossow and Jim Martell.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, October 17th, 2026, at Zion Lutheran Church, Marinette, Wis., with a visitation at 9 a.m. until time of funeral service at 11 a.m., with a luncheon to follow. Burial will be in Glenwood Memorial Gardens, Marinette. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established by the family with contributions supporting youth in Hunter Safety.
Hansen-Onion-Martell funeral home is assisting the family.
