Rep. Lesley Vance dies at 76

Rep. Lesley Vance, who served for over 20 years in the Alabama House of Representatives, died Tuesday. He was 76 years old.

Vance, a funeral home operator, was first elected to the House as a Democrat from Phenix City in 1994. He became a Republican in 2010. He also served as Russell County’s coroner and on the Russell County Commission.

“Today, the citizens of Russell and Lee Counties and the entire state of Alabama lost a great leader in the passing of Representative Lesley Vance,” House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, said in a statement. “Chairman Vance was a fine man and an effective legislator who nobly fought for his constituents for more than 20 years.”

Vance began working as funeral attendant and ambulance driver in 1958, according to Vance Memorial Chapel, which he owned and operated in Phenix City for over 40 years. He opened a second funeral home in Columbus, Ga. in 1984.

Vance chaired the House Financial Services Committee, but had been absent this year due to illness. He told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer last year that he did not expect to run again after completing his current term.

Vance is survived by his wife Patricia; three children and five grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.