Joshua Lance, the founder of Chicago-based virtual accounting firm the Lance CPA Group and a well-respected member of the profession, died at the age of 40 over the past weekend.
A CPA, Lance began his career at Top 25 Firm Crowe, and also had stints working at family offices before launching his own firm in 2015.
"Josh was an amazing entrepreneur, but first and foremost was a loving husband to Leesa and father to Nathan and Ella," his firm wrote on Instagram. "He was kind, generous, funny, calm, humble, optimistic and always the smartest one in the room. … The loss we feel is tremendous, but the knowledge we gained from him is what we will carry on as we continue to run this firm and proudly carry on his legacy."
Lance was also head of accounting at practice management platform Ignition. "We're heartbroken to share that we lost our head of accounting, Josh Lance, to cancer," the company wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Josh wasn't just an amazing accountant; he was an incredible person with a big heart and sharp mind. If you knew Josh, you know he gave his all — to his work, his family, and to the accounting world. We're going to miss him more than words can say."
A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Lance also served as adjunct faculty at Northwestern University and the University of Vermont.
He was named to Accounting Today's
He is survived by his wife and two children.
A memorial service is being held on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. at Hinsdale Covenant Church in Hinsdale, Illinois.
The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, those who wish to remember Lance consider making donations to the following organizations:
Foster Progress , which provides programs for young people in foster care in Illinois (select "In Honor of Josh Lance");- The
National Association of Black Accountants (select "General Fund"); and,
