I was traveling from Chicago to Columbus, Ohio, when my sister Kathy
called me telling me that our father, Jerry Lane, had passed away at
home that morning.
Our brother, Tim, had called her, and as the matriarch of the
siblings from our father's first marriage, she began the task of
tracking down the remaining three brothers and their families to
share the news.
Three of the five siblings were somewhat estranged from their
father in varying degrees. I think I was a bit closer. There is no
need to detail why the relationships were what they were, but I can
assure you that both father and children were aware of each other,
their successes and disappointments and this was communicated through
our devised network that evolved over the past thirty years. I
volunteered to share this brief overview of the first half of Jerry
Lane's life and his surviving children and their families.
The oldest daughter is Kathleen Ruth Campbell, 55 who goes by the
name of Irish, of Westville, Indiana. She's a legal professional
working in downtown Chicago; she's widowed and is a step mom of two
daughters and four grandchildren.
Jerry E. Lane III of Bellflower, Calif., 53, is a heavy equipment
operator, married to LeRae Lane, with two sons.
Richard R. Lane, 51, Vancouver, Wash., and Chattanooga, Tenn., is
a business development executive. He has three children, Shannon
McLin of Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga.; Megan Lane of Chico, Calif.; and R.
Ryan Lane of Santa Cruz, Calif.
Timothy J. Lane was named in the initial obituary.
Padraic C. Lane, 42, of Delano, Calif., is a funeral home owner.
He's the baby brother and the religious connection for us to the
Catholic Church.
All in all, there's one daughter, three sons, seven grandchildren
and nine great-grandchildren.
We have taken the liberty to mention our extended family, because
like our father, marriages my sister, Kathy, and I entered into came
with children and the normal family responsibilities. Like our
father, we assumed that parenting role, and these step children
became our own. We all knew our father would pass someday. The way we
have chosen to live our adult lives, in many respects, mirrors how he
chose to live his. I guess, at the end of the day, the apple really
doesn't fall far from the tree.
Rest In peace, with the respect and love of your children.
RICHARD LANE
