Thomas Gaile Lane

Tom was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 27, 1930 to Roy and Hazel (VanAtta) Lane (b1882 and b1892) and was the younger brother of Pauline. He grew up and attended Pike High School and later served in the army in Trieste, Italy during the Korean War. Tom had humble beginnings during the depression. His father died when he was just 12 and Tom took responsibility helping his mother by working paper routes and being a gas station attendant. Tom married at 18 and his mother passed at 19. He was then drafted into the Army. After his time in the service, he worked briefly for Eli Lilly as Head Grounds Keeper at the Lilly estate, and then had a 30+ year career with Indiana Bell later to become AT&T before he retired. Tom married his young sweetheart, Bettie Kathryne Ray in 1949 and remained married for 59 years until her passing in 2008. He introduced his best friend Paul Vogt to Bettie's sister Louise; they were married shortly thereafter. His nephew, Jack Belcher, was close to his age and they were like brothers. Tom’s determination showed in all of his endeavors and was the go to guy for fixing anything mechanical and he was a fine woodcrafter creating beautiful bird houses in his backyard shop. His gentle nature handled challenging situations with love and a steadiness. He was very close and proud of his three children: Mark (Jennifer), Melanie (Jerry), and John (Denise). His gentle and loving adoration will live on in his grandchildren’s hearts: Matt, Lindsey, Hayley, Hannah, Ashley, Grace, Cary and great grandchildren: Katelyn and Ruby. His close family and friends celebrate his life on Friday, February 28th at 1pm at Flanner & Buchanan - Oaklawn Memorial Gardens (Good Shepherd Chapel) at 9700 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis, Indiana , 46250 (317) 849-3616. Warm and fond memories of Tom will forever live in our hearts.