Harold Richard Lane

Harold Richard Lane, of Washington, DC, passed away at his home in Capitol Hill on the evening of Friday, October 16, 2015 at the age of 73. Rich, as he is known by many, is survived by his wife Sherry Ellen (Fennell) Lane of 47 years, and his two sons Chris & Erich. Rich was a world renowned micropaleontologist who had a zest for exploration. He never let anything get in his way of seeing the world and spending time with his family. Born on March 7, 1942, in Danville, IL, Rich is the son of Charles Edward and Naomi Helen (Holden) Lane. In addition to being survived by his wife and two sons, Rich is also survived by his two brothers, Ronald (Jan) Lane and Melvin Lane, three sisters, Helen Hall, Carolyn Sue (Mike) Ellis and Deborah (Allyn) Patterson as well as his sister-in-law Janice Lane and brother-in-law Tom Fennell. His parents, one sister, Barbara Davidson, one brother, Farrell Lane, two brother-in-laws, Robert Davidson and Joseph Hall preceded him in death. For the past 18 years at the National Science Foundation (NSF), Rich has served as program director for the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology Program as well as helping lead the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections Program, Coastal SEES Program, and Genealogy of Life Program. In addition, he was very devoted to the paleontological collaborations between NSF-USA and NSF-China. Prior to that, Rich was the Manager of Technical Services at Amoco Production Company for 28 years in Tulsa, OK and in Houston, TX. He was a graduate of Oakwood High School in Danville and earned his B.S. from the University of Illinois and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Geology from the University of Iowa. Relatives and friends are all invited to call at Sunset Funeral Home, 3940 N. Vermilion Street, Danville, IL, on Friday, October 23, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m for visitation. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 2:00 p.m at Sunset Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to George Washington University Heart and Vascular Institute www.gwheartandvascular.org.

Visitation Oct 23, 2015 Friday, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center 3940 N. Vermilion Street Danville, IL 61834 Service Oct 24, 2015 Saturday, 2:00 PM Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center 3940 N. Vermilion Street Danville, IL 61834 Final Resting Place Sunset Memorial Park 3901 N. Vermilion Street Danville, IL 61834