Obituary of Harold Richard Lane

United States Navy Lt. Commander (Ret.)

Harold Richard "Dick" Lane

Chapin, SC       

Harold Richard "Dick" Lane passed away peacefully on May 22, 2019 at his home on Lake Murray shortly after celebrating his 84th birthday with family and friends.

He was born in Appleton, Washington on May 12, 1935 to the late Harold Lane and Laura Mae Myers Lane and was the brother to: Charles Lane of Riverside, Washington – wife Marvel Lane,

David Lane of Moro, Oregon-wife Erma Lane,

LaVerne Lane of Portland, Oregon

Louise Schoen of Portland, Oregon –husband Orville Schoen

And predeceased by a sister, Sandra Hall of Texas.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 30, 2019 in the Chapel of Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington at 4720 Augusta Road, Lexington, SC 29073.

Burial with full Military Honors will follow at 1:00 PM at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, located at 4170 Percival Road, Columbia, SC 29229.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM prior to the Funeral Service at the funeral home.

Harold Richard Lane, known to all of his friends as Dick Lane, retired from the United States Navy in 1973 after serving his country over twenty years.  He entered the U.S. Navy at a young age in 1952 and began his career as an electricians mate on diesel powered submarines in 1955 where he spent 10 plus years. During this time, Dick attended NAPA Junior College in California and the University of California at Berkley and worked his way to becoming the youngest ever commissioned Lt. Commander, serving the last ten years of his military service under the command of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, Commander of U.S Naval Nuclear Propulsion Control.

Although Dick was not one for sharing his Naval experiences from serving in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, one of the highlights of his Naval career that he would talk about was being on the first submarine in winter time to break the ice and surface at the North Pole making him a member of the patched "90 degree North crew".

While in the United States Navy, Dick Lane was awarded a China Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medals and a Navy Unit Commendation.

He then began a long second career in the Nuclear Power industry working for Burns and Roe as a plant manager at the Oak Ridge, TN Power Plant, Forked River, NJ Nuclear Plant and was called for assistance on day one, to the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania to control and repair the plant during its infamous meltdown accident in 1979.

He moved to New Orleans, LS and worked as a project manager for a nuclear contractor for several years.

He then worked for Illinois Power and Light at the Clinton Nuclear Power Station as a manager  and director for several years eventually moving back to Knoxville, TN where he and his wife Helen purchased and ran Hunley Turner Appliance Store for 3 years.

After selling the appliance store, Dick and Helen Lane moved to Aiken, SC so he could return to the Nuclear Industry as a site manager for Westinghouse at the Savanah River Nuclear Site. He finally retired after finding his dream property on beautiful Lake Murray in Chapin, SC.

He told family and friends that he wanted to live on Lake Murray until he was 100 years old.

Dick Lane is well known in the United States road racing community having a passion for sports cars and road racing circuits as an avid racer and organizer.  He was a long time member of the Porsche Club of America, serving in many leadership roles and is best known nationally for his National Track Steward position for Porsche Club Racing. He was a member and past president of the Smokey Mountain Region PCA Knoxville, TN, member of the Lincoln Trail Region PCA Decatur, IL, Swampland Region PCA LS, past president and held multiple officer positions of the Carolinas Region PCA and was the membership chairman of the Three Rivers Region PCA here in South Carolina.

Dick Lane served in many positions and helped many drivers in learning how to drive on road tracks as Chief Instructor for high performance driver education events for the Porsche Club of America.

Dick Lane was also a member of many other racing institutions including the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and was a co-founder/owner of the Carolina Motor Sports Park located in Kershaw, SC.

Prior to this passion, he spent many years with his children riding motorcycles, travelling and racing with them in numerous motorcross events as they were growing up.

Dick loved to snow ski, jet ski and drive his boat on Lake Murray and was a huge advocate for people wearing their life vests while on the water at all times, as all of his children, grandchildren, and even his dog can attest.

Surviving are his loving wife of 49 years, Helen Lucille Lane of Chapin, SC and;

His five children Thomas Lane of Ceymour, TN, Cynthia Ruby Mehl of Punta Gorda, FL and husband Kurt Mehl, Theresa Lou Tinch of Oak Ridge, TN and husband Timothy Tinch, Rodney George Fossum of Chapin, SC, and Teresa Jean Coleman of Hardeeville, SC and husband James "Rusty" Coleman.

His eleven grandchildren: Christopher Shane Dippolito of Tuckerton, NJ, Adriana Heckert of Shiremanstown, PA and husband Keith Heckert, Beth Anne Dippolito of Bayville, NJ, Rebecka Leigh Donahue-Sementelli of Luttrell, TN, Louis Sementelli III of Bradenton, FL and wife Jessica Sementelli, Crystina Lynell Dippolito of Ventnor, NJ, Jennifer Lynn Carland of Punta Gorda, FL and husband Matthew Carland, April Nicole Rhea of Madison, AL, James Joshua Coleman of Philadelphia, PA., Matthew Ryan Fossun, Sevierville, TN, and Rosalie Grace Lane of Ceymour, TN

And his sixteen great-grandchildren: Christopher Lance Dippolito, Douglas Layne Donahue, Emily Nicole Dippolito, Deanna Leigh Donahue, Adehn Gregory Dippolito, Bryant Connor Dippolito, Chelsea Lynn Heckert, Carleigh Elizabeth Heckert, Louis Sementelli, IV, Lilyan Rose Dippolito, Brooke Ruby Budd, Joscelyn Rayne Solis, Noah Thompson Kelly, Adelyn Gabrielle Carland, Analeigh Claire Kelly, and Sayde Elizabeth Carland.

And numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would especially like to thank the many caregivers and friends that provided such excellent service and support during this trying time.