Cecilia Antoinette Lancaster

Cecilia Antoinette "Toni" (Speck) Lancaster of Keller, Texas was called to her heavenly home on Monday, January 9, 2023, at the age of 57 after a courageous six-year battle against ovarian cancer. Toni will be remembered for her life lived as the embodiment of kindness, love, grace and hope. Her memory will live on in the many people she touched during her life.

Toni was born in San Angelo, Texas on May 15, 1965, raised in Brownwood, Texas and graduated from Brownwood High School in 1983. She later graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education and continued her education at the University of Texas, Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. Toni served on the Board of the Texas Occupational Therapy Association from 1997 through 1999 and taught as an adjunct professor at the Texas Tech Occupational Therapy School and the University of Texas - Permian Basin Occupational Therapy School. Toni loved working as an Occupational Therapist, because it provided her the opportunity to help her patients regain physical and mental capabilities lost or lessened by disease or injury.

On June 8, 1991, Toni married Paul Lancaster of Brownsville, Texas, and resided in Arlington, Texas. The following year they moved to Lubbock, Texas where they lived while Paul attended Texas Tech Law School. Upon Paul's graduation in 1995, Toni and Paul moved to Midland, Texas and lived there until 2001 when they returned to the Fort Worth area, settling in Keller for the remainder of Toni's life. Toni and Paul had three wonderful daughters, Emilee, Lauren, and Katelyn Lancaster.

Toni loved people and spent most of her free time with her family and friends. Toni was an exceptional wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. Her most treasured and accomplished role, however, was as mother to Emilee, Lauren and Katelyn. Her love for, and devotion to, her daughters was unconditional, unwavering and unsurpassed by any measure.

Toni's love of people dovetailed with her enthusiasm for travel. Toni traveled to many of the vacation cities in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe; however, she also had a great love of nature, having visited a majority of the National Parks in the United States. Above all other destinations, Toni was most happy in the mountains. The sound of a mountain river or stream and the rustling of Aspen leaves in the wind were two of her most favorite sounds in the world.

Toni was an avid reader and passed that passion along to her daughters. Toni also derived great pleasure from scrapbooking, a hobby generating photo and journal albums documenting the life of her and her family and preserving this history for future generations. Toni also enjoyed long walks, hiking, biking, dancing, tennis, golf, badminton, cooking, cooking shows, and any sport or activity involving her daughters.

Toni was one of the Lord's most faithful servants. After settling in Keller, she found her church home at White's Chapel United Methodist Church and was a member of the church until she passed. Toni found joy and comfort in attending worship services, reading scripture and listening to gospel music. Toni was very proud of establishing an enduring legacy of faith by passing her love of the Lord on to her daughters.

Toni is survived and missed by her loving husband Paul of 31 years, and their three daughters, Emilee, Lauren, and Katelyn Lancaster, all of Keller. She is also survived by her parents, Joe and Sarah Speck, of Brownwood, her sister, Joetta (Speck) Friess and husband Clay of Sonora, Texas, and her brother, Fritz Speck and wife Kristie, of Brownwood. Also surviving Toni are her brother-in-law, Newlin Lancaster and wife Mara of Brownsville, sister-in-law, Connie Moore and husband Jim of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sister-in-law, Robin Muniz of Amarillo, Texas, and brother-in-law, Barry Lancaster and wife D'Anne of Flower Mound, Texas. Toni leaves behind her fourteen adored nieces and nephews and three grand-nephews: Alisse (Lancaster) Sartain, Ethan Black and his sons, Beckett and Sawyer Black, Lorenza Lancaster, Alessandra (Lancaster) Zapata and her son, Pablo Zapata, Amanda (Lancaster) O'Hara, Natalia Lancaster, Owen Friess, Jimmy Moore, Logan Speck, Julia Moore, Lucas Muniz, Lainey Speck, Molly Friess, and Will Speck. Toni's memory will live on with her beloved cousins, aunts, and uncles, along with her many very dear friends. Toni was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Fritz and Bela Speck, her maternal grandparents, Lawrence and Ada Lee "Pat" Williamson, and several uncles, aunts, and cousins.

A memorial service is scheduled at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 30, 2023, in the Grace Chapel at White's Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake, Texas, followed by a reception in The Foundry at the church. 

Gifts in lieu of flowers may be made in Toni's memory to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.