Aloha Wills Vance

When Aloha was a beautiful young college girl, God invited her to a life devoted to sharing His story. What followed became a beautiful story of a war orphan who grew up as an only child with a single mom and dreamed of a big family. The twenty-four family members who surrounded her represent this dream come true. Aloha’s life was focused on her family and her faith. Her legacy is not in earthly goods, but in the hundreds of lives she influenced for the kingdom. She infused passion and diligence to the transgenerational and transcultural work of the gospel.

Aloha Lea Wills Vance of Greenville, SC arrived safely home in heaven on June 8, 2020, surrounded by a room full of her loving family. Her brief battle with pancreatic cancer ended quietly and peacefully. Aloha was born January 28, 1943 in Dayton, Ohio to John and Frances Wills. Her father, who was serving as a Navy radio operator, died before she was born. Her mother loved Aloha dearly and called her “her sunshine girl” for her golden hair and sunny disposition. She grew up in Ocala and Plant City, FL. After graduating from Plant City High School, she attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. In 1964 she completed her BS in Home Economics with a teaching certificate in secondary education. In college she dedicated her life to serving the Lord full time. Aloha met and married her husband, Bob Vance, while preparing for ministry. They spent 54 years together before Bob went home to heaven in January 2018.

Bob and Aloha joined Baptist Mid-Missions to work as church planters in 1965. They served in St. Lucia, West Indies; Honokaa and Hilo, Hawaii; Pukalani, Maui; Abbotsford, British Columbia, along with short-term mission station supply in Scotland, Finland, Ireland, Alaska and Ontario, Canada. In fifty-two years of ministry Bob pastored twelve churches. During these years, Bob and Aloha discipled and loved on the people in the places where they served. Because of their efforts the ministry of AWANA was initiated in the state of Hawaii.

In the over 50 years of consistent effort for gospel advance, Aloha worked tirelessly teaching women, leading children’s ministries, accompanied with the piano, singing alto, counseling and discipling. For the last eight years, Aloha invested heavily in counseling women at Abundant Grace International. Her personal testimony guided her discipleship with women of all ages. Undoubtedly, numerous lives have been changed forever as she saturated her counseling with God’s word and her unconditional love.

Aloha Vance is survived by her children and their spouses: Tim and Leah (Vance) Simpson, Nathan and Shannon Vance, Rob and Daphne (Vance) Reichard and Titus and Diane Vance; fourteen grandchildren, Timothy Jr., Carissa, Katie, Wil, Mikayla, Adriana, Joshua, Elise, Joseph, Piper, Piers, Shiloh, Moriah and Silas, along with two loved grandsons-in-law, Corey and Zach.

Aloha’s love for her family and friends was surpassed only by her love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A Celebration Service will be held on Saturday, June 13, at 11am at Calvary Baptist Church, 3810 Grandview Dr, Simpsonville, SC 29680.

In lieu of flowers, gifts to honor Aloha Vance may be given to one of her favorite ministries. She invested in the gospel advance and loved these ministries:

Abundant Grace International:

477 Haywood Rd, Greenville, SC 29651

864-270-5531

https://abundantgraceintl.org

Funds given in Aloha’s honor will be given toward scholarships and updating worn office furniture. Look for the tab with her name, Aloha.

Grace-based Christian counseling guides people into freedom by experiencing God’s grace. Individual counseling emphasizes that God desires to have an intimate relationship with you. Abundant Grace offers marriage and family counseling, teen counseling, neuro-nutrition and online counseling. Aloha counseled with this ministry for the last eight years.

Women’s Refuge of Vera Beach, Florida:

1850 Lemon Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32960 772- 770-4424

[email protected] https://www.womensrefugevb.org/ 
Funds given will be directed to scholarships.

The Refuge offers hope through restoration, counseling and training. Since 1997, people from all over the world have benefitted from their residential program, counseling center and training programs. The mission of the Women's Refuge of Vero Beach has been to provide healing and wholeness to emotionally, mentally and spiritually wounded women, men and families in a community setting through Biblical counseling. The Refuge provides a live-in Christian program where hurting women can find sanctuary in a healing environment.

La Aljaba Children’s Home in Columbia, South America:

https://www.laaljaba.org/

https://orphanos.org/partners/la-aljaba/

Funds given in Aloha’s honor will be used to supply a new girl’s bunk room allowing additional on-site space for orphans needing 24 hour care. Consider sponsoring one of these children.

La Aljaba provides for children from 4 to 18 years of age in situations of extreme poverty or need. La Aljaba offers assistance in four development areas: physical, cognitive, spiritual and emotional well-being. Currently they provide full day care, tutoring, daily nutritional meals for 100 children and provide 24 hour care for approximately 30 children. La Aljaba also extends their reach to the community by providing family counseling and parenting classes monthly, sending daily food rations to 100 children who live in extreme poverty on the edge of the jungle, and helping other children’s ministries 50 miles up and down the Amazon River. La Aljaba’s vision is this: “Inspired by God’s love and obeying His calling, we will impact the Amazon community by teaching the children Christian values and principles for better future generations.”

Frontline Ministry:

P.O. Box 829, Taylors, S.C. 29687 864-451-5550

https://www.frontlinemissions.info/

Frontline’s mission of “advancing the Gospel in the world’s difficult places” is happening through a multi-national team serving in more than a dozen countries on three continents. Despite the diversity of settings and challenges as they serve in restricted-access countries, Frontline has three driving purposes in fulfilling their Gospel mission: Telling the big story of the gospel, equipping gospel risk-takers, and sending long-term workers.