Lauren Martin Hetland Jr.

The enormous and good heart of Lauren M. Hetland, Jr., stopped beating early in the morning of September 17. He left behind Arline Seng Hetland, his loving wife of 43 years, his daughter, Heather Hetland Kubik (Zoltán), and grandsons, Zoltán and Zalán Kubik, of Fayetteville, N.C., and his son, Lauren M. Hetland, III, of Salisbury, Maryland. He also left behind his sister, Jane Hetland Stevenson (Dudley) of St. Paul, Minnesota, many cousins in Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Michigan, and his friends and former coworkers. He is predeceased by his parents, Lauren M. Hetland, Sr., and Elsie Hatten Hetland of Vienna, Virginia.

Lauren was born November 21, 1954 on Offutt Air Force Base (AFB), Omaha, Nebraska, where his father was stationed at the time. Due to his father’s career in the United States Air Force and later for the General Accounting Office, Lauren attended elementary schools in Del Rio, Texas; Roswell, New Mexico; Mascoutah, Illinois; the Panama Canal Zone and Springfield, Virginia. He attended three high schools in Springfield, Virginia; Joliet, Montana; and the American School in New Delhi, India, where he graduated in 1973. Lauren also lived on the Etain AFB, France and Andrews AFB, Maryland.

Lauren received a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from George Mason University. He worked for the Federal Government as a Telecommunications Officer in the United States Embassy in Singapore, where he visited exotic places like Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Towards the end of his tour, he met his wife, Arline Seng, also assigned to the embassy. From there they completed a tandem assignment in the United States Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. While in Jamaica, he supported the United States Embassies in Grenada and the Dominican Republic on temporary duty.

Lauren and Arline were married in 1982, eventually settled in Springfield, Virginia and started their family in his remaining years. Lauren left the Federal Government in 1985 and worked for federal government contractors in Washington, D.C., as a Logistics Supervisor with Bendix Field Engineering Corporation and for the Edison Electric Institute as a Research Analyst. He attended Northern Virginia Community College and was awarded an Associate in Applied Science Degree. He also received Certificates of Completion in C# Programming and A+ Certification. After searching for the perfect home in Springfield, Lauren realized that he had a great interest in buying and selling real estate, therefore, completing appropriate courses to become a Realtor.

As a youth, Lauren enjoyed basketball, baseball, darts and playing pool, and passed on his love for these sports to his son, Lauren, by coaching his sports teams. During Heather and Lauren’s swim and dive competitions, you could be sure he was cheering them from the poolside. Lauren spent much of his time imparting as much worldly wisdom as he could to his children through front porch chats and long drives. He was a constant, yet quiet, presence in their lives. He paid immense attention to the little things that brought joy to people he cared about. He had a quiet demeanor which covered up a hilarious sense of humor. Lauren will be deeply missed.

A gathering will be held on Saturday October 25, 2025 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151 followed by a Celebration of Life at 11:00 AM at the funeral home.

12:00 pm Luncheon follows. Please RSVP to the Lauren Hetland Funeral by following the link below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsd3tuZ9iHfyVPP0G-D2Yn0bc0vbnsa7IINcDpnMwPNIhC4g/viewform

A private Inurnment will be held at Place of Peace Columbarium, Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, Virginia 20136 at 4:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association.