Landis Fielden Vance, 67, died peacefully Sept. 17, 2016, in Kalispell.

Throughout her too-short time on Earth, Landis was bursting with energy and a zest for life that was an inspiration to all who knew her. She will be dearly missed, but her legacy lives on through her writings, her teachings and happy memories shared by family, friends and colleagues.

Landis Michaux Fielden was born Aug. 1, 1949, to Georgia and Clarence Fielden, Jr. in Amarillo, Texas. She spent most of her life in Colorado, where her father taught her to fly fish and ride horses. It was there that she acquired her love of nature and the mountains.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and art history from Vanderbilt University, Landis pursued a career in banking that eventually took her to Washington, D.C., where she met and married William “Bill” Wallace Vance. A devoted Episcopalian, Landis was always very involved in her church as a vestry member, lay reader and active parishioner. Her spiritual home in Washington was All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church.

Though she was successful in her banking career, rising to senior vice president/corporate lending at Perpetual Savings Bank, Landis found herself drawn to a more spiritual path. After completing education for the ministry through Sewanee, the University of the South, she served as a palliative care chaplain at the National Institutes of Health. At George Washington University School of Medicine, she served as a critical care chaplain in the hospital and served as adjunct faculty, instructing medical students on the relationship between spirituality and clinical outcomes. She also served as a Reiki master at the Washington Cancer Institute. This work led her to obtain a Ph.D. in practical theology and health from the Union Institute and University. Landis worked with cancer patients for many years before receiving her own cancer diagnosis. After treatment, she began planning their move west. After moving to Montana, Landis was a prolific author, speaker and advocate, focusing on spiritual challenges and personal growth during debilitating illness. Her final work, a book titled “A Most Clarifying Battle: the Spirit and Cancer,” is currently in production.

Wherever they were living, Landis and Bill took full advantage of local amenities. In Washington they delighted in the city’s arts and culture. Among their more unusual interests was a love of chili peppers and spicy foods. As “chili heads” they felt obliged to share their passion with their East Coast friends and hosted several parties where everyone was encouraged to being a dish that featured chilies. Pepto-Bismol was available for those whose stomachs did not cooperate.

After moving to Montana, Landis and Bill delighted in outdoor sports and the area’s natural beauty. In the summer they hiked, fly fished and water rafted. In the winter, they snow skied and took up curling. Evenings, Landis wrote, knitted, baked and taught groups the joys of Dutch oven cooking. Landis was instrumental in forming a local chapter of Casting for Recovery, a national organization that offers fly fishing retreats for breast cancer patients. Perhaps her most meaningful involvement in Montana was the local American Association of University Women (AAUW) whose members became her closest friends and caretakers at the end of her life.

Landis is survived by Bill Vance, her husband of 34 years, a niece and three cousins. Her adoring dog, Loki, also grieves her loss.

Bill would especially like to thank Kerry Nagel, Lois Wagner, Home Options Hospice, Brendan House and the special friends who came together as Team Vance to help them both over the past weeks and months.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network.

A liturgical service in memory of Landis Vance will be held at 11 a.m. on Oct. 1 at Christ Church Episcopal, 215 3rd Avenue East, Kalispell. Everyone is welcome to attend.