Thomas G. Lane

Thomas Glenn Lane, age 93 years of Niles, Michigan died unexpectedly at 6:38 a.m. on Friday, September 28, 2018 at Lakeland Medical Center in Saint Joseph, Michigan.

He was born on December 13, 1924 in Wickliffe, Kentucky to Ralph G. and Leona (Bowman) Lane, and was raised and attended school in Kentucky before beginning a career in the building trades.  He left that career to join the war effort, serving in the United States Army 3169th Ordnance Maintenance Company which earned a Meritorious Unit Award while based in India.  He was Honorably Discharged as a Veteran of World War II.

Tom used his military training in automotive maintenance to take a job assembling automobiles at the former Studebaker Manufacturing in South Bend, Indiana.  He later was employed at the former Henco Enterprises in Niles.  He has lived in Niles since 1946.

He enjoyed fishing as often as possible in whichever body of water he was nearest.  He also enjoyed hunting, and he loved his family.

On June 13, 1946 in Mississippi he married the former Anne Catherine Lang with whom he celebrated earlier this year the remarkable Seventy-third anniversary of their wedding prior to her death just two weeks ago on September 13.  He was also preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Robert and James, and by a son-in-law, Ronald Peare.

Surviving family includes his children, Rheba Jo Peare of Elida, Ohio and Thomas Michael (& Terri) Lane of Watervliet, Michigan; grandchildren Ronald Dean (& Amanda) Peare, Eric Michael (& Alisha) Peare, and Kaleb Michael (& Stephenie) Lane; great-grandchildren Gavin, Neve, Jadon, Olivia, Aubrey, Jesse, and Jakeb; Anne’s sister, Emmajean Parham of Paducah, Kentucky, and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Thomas G. Lane will be at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles with Pastor Matt Hickok of the Community Evangelical Free Church in Niles officiating.  The services will conclude with Full Military Honors by the American Legion Post #51 of Buchanan.  Interment will be private, later, at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, beginning at Noon, at the funeral home.