[1] He met Richard Strauss during his tour of duty as a soldier in Europe at the end of World War II.

Six months later, de Lancie was astonished to see that Strauss had changed his mind and was indeed publishing an Oboe Concerto.

De Lancie then gave the rights to perform the premiere to a young oboist friend at the CBS Symphony in New York, Mitch Miller, who later became famous as a music producer and host of a sing-along TV show.

[6] He also commissioned a piece for oboe and orchestra L'horloge de flore (The Flower Clock) by the composer Jean Françaix.

[6] His wife Andrea, whom he met in Paris during the war, survived him (born July 3, 1920 – died October 18, 2006), as did their son, actor John de Lancie, and their daughter Christina (b. November 21, 1953), and de Lancie's brother Richard.