Eugene T. Lane Sr., who served many years on Plymouth’s Select Board during the 1980s and ‘90s, died peacefully on June 21 surrounded by his family. He was 90.
Perhaps best known for his advocacy for traffic safety following a 1997 fatal car crash that took his wife Dolores at the intersection of Pilgrim Trail and Samoset Street, he successfully petitioned the board for safety improvements.
As chair, he played a pivotal role in securing the land that would become Forges Field, ensuring a lasting recreational and community resource for generations of Plymouth residents.
He also was a vocal critic of the building of the first Plymouth South High School, which opened in 1988 following the break-up of the Plymouth-Carver regional school district. Lane was in the minority on the issue, but his complaints proved well founded – Plymouth South incurred huge cost overruns during construction and was plagued by problems almost from the day it opened. The troubled building was torn down in 2017 and replaced by the current Plymouth South.
In his later years, Lane lived in Punta Gorda, FL, where he became a passionate golfer. A familiar presence at Deep Creek Golf Club, he played nearly every day until the age of 88. Known affectionately as “Radar” by his golfing friends, Lane achieved the rare feat of recording five holes-in-one during his golfing career. He was also a back-to-back Super Senior Champion, accomplishments he carried with great pride.
Born Jan. 12, 1937, in East Boston to the late Richard F. Lane and Julia Sheila (Kiernan) Lane, he grew up in Arlington and graduated from Malden Catholic High School and Boston College. He served in the National Guard before beginning his professional career with Continental Insurance. He later entered the banking industry, where he rose to become Senior Vice President at BayBanks.
He is survived by his children, Eugene T. Lane Jr. and his wife Allison Lane; Francis Lane; Robert Lane and his wife, Donna Lane; Daniel Lane and his wife, Yuxia Lane; grandchildren Amanda Lane, Gene Lane and his wife Genna Lane, Matthew Lane, Xin Lane, and Anthony Lane; great-granddaughter Ayla Azar; and his longtime sweetheart, Liz Martin.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dolores, and his brothers Bernard J. Lane, Richard F. Lane, and Gerard F. Lane.
Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at Cartmell-Davis Life Celebration Funeral Home, 619 State Road. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, June 25, in St. Bonaventure Church, 801 State Road, with burial to follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.