Vance was born on June 18, 1915 in Oakland and left this life on April 3, 2003 in Walnut Creek. He was a loving father to Joyce Bird and her husband, Don of Fresno and Frank Haswell and his wife, Linda of Danville. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Jeff Bird of Fresno, Bill Bird and his wife, Cathy of Costa Mesa, Ann Haswell Pilecki and her husband, Derek of Tampa, FL, Laura Haswell St. Laurent and her husband, Ryan of Danville and Mike Haswell of Walnut Creek and one great grandchild, Tyler Bird of Costa Mesa. His wife of 62 years, Marion, predeceased him in 2000. He graduated Oakland High School in 1932 and from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936 where he played baseball, basketball and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy and captained a submarine chaser during World War II. He held several sales positions in the wholesale food industry prior to developing the Walnut Bowl in Walnut Creek in 1958. He was the owner/manager of that facility until the late 1980's. He was the founder and Chairman emeritus of the Bank of Walnut Creek. Vance was very active in civic and charitable work. He was a Past Master and member of Yerba Buena Masonic Lodge #403. He served as President of the Walnut Creek chamber and was selected as Business Person of the Year in Walnut Creek in 1984. He was the President of the Lions Club of Walnut Creek in 1965-66 and was a 44 year member. He was the Pioneer Lion of District 4C3 in 1992-93. He was an active member of the Lions fast pitch soft ball team. Vance had a passion for gardening and enjoyed bowling, tennis and traveling the world with Marion. The development of the Gardens at Heather Farms was a project to which he devoted a great deal of his time and talents. He was a member of the Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church and a former member of Piedmont Community Church. Donations may be made to the Lions Center for the Visually Impaired, 275 Alvarado Avenue, Pittsburg, CA 94565, the Gardens at Heather Farms, 1540 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek, CA 94598 or the charity of your choice. A Memorial services will be held at Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette on Saturday, April 12 at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment, Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, CA. HULL'S WALNUT CREEK CHAPEL 925-934-5400