GPA NOEL

On February 15 David's Grandpa died. It was a very hard time for our little family, we loved or we still love that man so much. We had the opportunity to get to know him a little since we have lived in Oregon.

We are going to miss him but we are so thankful he is with his wife and others who he loved and have died before him.

Here is a write up that was put together in his honor.

NOEL WEST LANE JR.

August 23, 1927 to February 15, 2011

Wonderful Father, Faithful Husband of Anne, Great Friend, Successful Businessman, Scientist, Physicist, Chemist, Astronomer, Dreamer, Inventor and Patent Holder, Counselor, Idealist, Pianist, Patriot, WWII Naval Veteran, USS West Virginia (BB48), World Citizen, Man of God and Faith

Dear Friends and Associates of Noel West Lane Jr.,

Our Dad, passed away at 6:30 PM MST, 2-15-11. He was 84. He is with God and our Mom.

We are his children: Noel III, John, Nancy and Julie.

We wanted to share with you a simple celebration of this wonderful man and his life on God’s earth by telling you something about him through the thoughts from our hearts and our memories. We wanted to remind you of some of his contributions and gifts to his Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel; his community, Chiloquin, Oregon; his nation, the United States of America and above all, his contributions to each and every man, and woman, and child, he touched briefly or at length during his 84 year journey across this world.

· Born of Noel West Lane Sr. and Grace A. Lane in Maywood/Bell, California on August 23, 1927, younger brother to Ruby “Lane” Alverson.

· Married to Anne Elizabeth Dolinsky on December 18, 1948 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Maywood, California. This devoted and faithful husband spent 51 years with the love of his life, Anne, mother to their four children.

· Dad built his first microscope at the age of 12.

This was the birth of Lane Instrument Company. A company that he and Mom grew and promoted to become a contractor for NASA and the U.S. Navy, plotting the experiments of the Mercury and Apollo missions as they traveled through space from his observatories in Montebello, California, Costa Mesa, California, El Cajon, California and Chiloquin, Oregon.

He was an expert in spectral photometry and astronomy.

A physicist and chemist, he helped lead the nation and industry in the development of thermal conductivity testing and procedures and he wrote the first national standards for mobile home construction.

A Fellow in the American Institute of Chemists, Dad developed special plastics and rocket fuels. These developments lead to his positioning of the plastics and adhesives industries as leaders in these technologies throughout the world. His work in the development of cross linked polymers and aircraft adhesives kept U. S. military rockets, planes and helicopters in the forefront of the international aviation and space industry.

But, he didn’t stop there. He took cross linked polymers to the U. S. King Crab Fleet by designing single molecule floats that could travel to 3,000 meters in depth without crushing and cellulose fiber insulation that established new industries in America, Japan, England, and Mexico. His float system developed into artificial break waters for customers as diverse as the U. S. Navy and Alaskan Indian Tribes.

A man of all disciplines, he designed the water tight seals for the periscopes on Polaris submarines and designed the first all fiberglass rudders for MacGregor Yachts.

· He was Editor of the Maywood Bell newspaper at age 16.

· A gymnast with a specialty of the Rings and Pommel Horse, he was a member of the UCLA gymnastic second team for the 1948 Olympics.

· Polio struck our Dad in 1954 four months before the Salk vaccine was distributed across the nation. He spent months at Sister Kenney Hospital while Mom kept charge of the home and their first three children, Noel III, John and Nancy (Julie was his and Mom’s gift to the family in 1962). His strength of character and commitment to life and family were mirrored in his battle to return home and to a productive life. Told he would not get out of the Iron Lung, then told he would never walk, and then told he would not live past 45, he confounded everyone with his perseverance by first walking and then outliving the four doctors who said he couldn’t.

· He was an Area Governor for Toastmasters International and was the recipient of the Liars Speech Contest when he spun a story about making wine from grapes before the grape vines grew from the earth.

· A consummate musician, his favorite instrument was the piano. He was fortunate to play a duet with renowned concert pianist and composer, Rachmaninoff and he was never at a loss to lead campfire songs with his accordion, concertina, harmonica, banjo or ukulele.

· A composer and excellent tenor too, he regaled his family and friends with folk songs, classics and a personal family favorite Letoria!

· A father of four, grandfather of 16 and great grandfather of 7, he and Mom claimed 7 Eagle Scouts from the Boys Scouts of America and 2 Life Scouts from the Girl Scouts of America, 2 Eagle Scout equivalents from Nancy’s church and a Silver Beaver Award for Nancy, one of the highest adult awards for leadership from the Boys Scouts of America; as proud representations of the moral and ethical values and work ethic they instilled in their progeny.

· Dad and Mom also received life achievement awards from the Catholic Church and the State of Oregon. Dad received his from the Archbishop of Portland for the Diocese of Baker. This medal given in a special ceremony at Our Lady ,of Mount Carmel on September 9, 2001 was, “In Thanksgiving for Your Years of Dedicated Service to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church”. Mom received her award posthumously from the State of Oregon, Department of Human Services. An EMT-B, Mom received her “Emergency Medical Service Cross” on September 24, 1999.

Our Dad was truly a man for all seasons and our Mom was his equal. He based his life’s philosophy on honesty and integrity and demanded a moral and ethical approach to every decision. He raised his children to hold the highest standards in all that was done whether, it be school, work or play. And he made certain that we never forgot that the true measure of a man or woman was the value of the improvement they made in their community and the lives of others while they were on this earth.

We, the children of Noel and Anne, thought that we could best summarize who this special man was by sharing with you a single memory from each of us about our Dad:

From Julie,

“My Father…

A man of “steel” yet fearless as he sailed the open seas…captain’s hat and pipe, his loyal mates, he was free to run again but now only on water.

His hands were calloused from the unfair burden of weight, yet I was amazed at how soft and warm they were when he held my hand.

My Father’s heart seemed worn from years of suffering yet undaunted, it burst out words of encouragement and penned love notes and letters of fatherly advice for his daughter to read.

His two unsteady and very impatient feet were always on the ground yet his mind and soul floated among the stars. He would point excitedly to the heavens and call out a constellation…I pretended to see it, usually didn’t, but I couldn’t miss what I saw in his eyes.

My Father was my first example of what a man should be… he had courage, strength, commitment…and he held it all together with passion, empathy and a deep love for his God and his family – he was my mother’s Knight in Shining Armour!

If you knew my Dad you were lucky, but to be his daughter, now, that is an immeasurable gift from God above. Save a place for me Dad.

Love, Julie (Little One)

From Nancy,

“When I was little I thought my dad was my hero. Most little girls do. He was big and strong, had a deep voice, rumbling laugh and smelled of pipe and beer and dad smells. At church I would link my arm under his and put my hand his big hand, feeling safe and proud to have my dad sitting by me. I learned to walk with a limp from watching him walk. He taught me how to play cards, sail a boat, use a skil-saw, and make peanut brittle.

As a woman I 'knew' he was my hero. His example taught me service, compassion, self sacrifice, fidelity and how to be a contributing member of society. As his daughter, I have tried to pass those qualities down to his grandchildren and live like my hero - my dad; to continue his legacy”.

From John,

My favorite story is when Dad and I went sailing off the coast of California in a FULL GALE storm. We had a nice couple on board, “land lubbers”, locked in the cabin because the waves were crashing over the stern. The decks were swamped and as I heard Dad bark out orders I looked back and he was soaking wet, grin on his face with his pipe full of water and still in his mouth. He yelled, “IF he went overboard with his brace on, he would have to walk to shore....meet him at the dock”.

From Noel III,

When I was sixteen, my Dad gave me a 3x5 card as an answer to a question I asked of him. The question is unimportant today. The answer is the foundation that I have built on for my 60 years. The answer my Dad gave me has been in my hands and heart and mind from that day forward. This answer from my Dad is what has helped me define my Faith and my character and this answer is what I used to set my course in life. I still have my Dad’s answer on that 3x5 card from 1967. I have given it my son, his namesake and grandson, and I hope someday he will pass it on to his children:

Tell It the Way It Is

The measure of an individual’s maturity and worth is the way in which he has recognized and satisfied his responsibilities and contributed a part of his talent to the growth and improvement of his environment.

His plans for completion of today’s tasks at a future time can only be considered procrastination and an indication of unreliability.

His future plans are worthy of the time required for evaluation only after he has demonstrated previous satisfactory performance.

Noel West Lane Jr. (1967)

To all, we hope this incomplete story of our Dad’s life and his love of our Mom, gives you a sense of who this man was and is and how he walked proudly and reverently (maybe a little irreverently at times) through life.

As our sisters Nancy and Julie said, “(we must) live like our hero and continue his legacy” and, ”to be his (children), now, that is an immeasurable gift from God above”.

Save a place in Heaven for us, Dad. We know that’s where you and Mom are!

All our love,

Noel III, John, Nancy and Julie.