Robert Anthony Leopold Lane passed away peacefully in his sleep in Lehi, Utah, on September 21, 2023, at the age of eighty-seven. When he passed, his grandson Robert Lane II was holding his hand. He was born on June 16, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Mabel Kustler Lane.

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Robert met Siv at 30,000 feet above the air, while he was working as a flight navigator and she was a stewardess for Pan American World Airways. It was love at first flight.

During his life, Robert and Siv lived in Miami, Florida; West Berlin, Germany; the Seychelle Islands; and East Hebron, New Hampshire. They built their dream house by Lake Down in Windermere, Florida, where they stayed for thirty-seven years. Eighteen months ago, they moved to Lehi, Utah.

Robert played football for Bergenfield High School before attending Cornell University for two years. He left Cornell and joined the Marine Corps, starting as a private in the Marines. He served for four years in active duty and for sixteen years in the Marine Corps Reserves. He retired with the rank of Major.

He learned to fly a Piper Cub seaplane at age fourteen. He flew fighters and helicopters in the Marines. He was able to fulfill his boyhood dream of being a Captain on the Boeing 747, after decades of flying various jets for Pan American World Airways.

In retirement, he continued to fly single engine and multi-engine general aviation aircraft. He joined the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, rising to the position of Flotilla Commander in Tampa. He flew missions primarily to spot drug traffic in the Gulf of Mexico.

He was an active member of the Florida Flying Gators’ Ultralight Flying Club and prided himself being a flying octogenarian.

“Life is a constant search for truth.”

He was a devoted patriot, and hosted an annual Fourth of July “Splash-in” breakfast and lunch for seaplane pilots and friends at his lakefront home in Windermere. He loved to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle, particularly with his brother Skip. He had a soft heart, especially for animals.

He spent many hours reading, often underlining words and sentences with a red pencil; he loved to learn. He was interested in genealogy, and spent time taking classes to learn about how to research family history. He took nineteen years to complete his bachelor’s degree, all the while studying for bi-annual flight exams and reviews. He earned a degree from the University of New Hampshire, a law degree from LaSalle University, and diplomas and certificates from Rollins College, Indiana University, and Brigham Young University.

He loved his country and believed that “Eternal vigilance is the price of Freedom.” He memorized the Declaration of Independence as a child and never forgot it. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his family in 1978 and served faithfully in various positions.

A few of his favorite pearls of wisdom are:

“Maintain thy airspeed, lest the earth rise up and smite thee” - Pappa Bear

“It is fruitless to wish you had started years ago. In the future you will wish you had started today.” - Pappa Bear

“Right is right even if no one is doing it;

wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” - St. Augustine

He is already, and will continue to be, missed.

As his final act on earth (and first posthumous act) he joined the University of Utah Medical School by donating his body for medical education.

He is survived by Siv Katarina Sandin Lane, his wife of 57 years. He is lovingly remembered by his two brothers, Kenneth “Skip”, and Richard “Dick” Lane, and by his children Karin Lane Jaccard, Christel Lane Swasey, Kenneth Alfred Leopold Lane II, and Kathleen Lane Lowe. He is survived by his grandchildren, Annika Jaccard, Nicholas Jaccard, Max Jaccard, Christianna Osborn, Axel Burt, Adam Swasey, Sunny Swasey, Justin Swasey, Harrison Swasey, Katja Lane, Susanna Lane, Robert Lane II, Kyle Lowe, Erin Lowe, Gretchen Springer, Makayla Lowe, Hannah Lowe, and his grandson Mikko Osborn.

A memorial service will be held in Robert’s honor at Covington Senior Living, 301 North 1200 East in Lehi on Friday, September 29, 2023, at 2:00 pm Mountain time, 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

We express heartfelt thanks to the kind and attentive caregivers at Covington Senior Living for their service to Robert and Siv. Thank you to the caregivers and staff at Renew Hospice for helping make Robert’s transition gentle and smooth.

Interment will be at Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park in Bluffdale, Utah, at a later date.