David Peter Lane's Obituary
Dave Lane was born in Tacoma, Washington. His parents, Jessie and Frank Lane, and siblings Jeffrey Lane and Susan Lane, preceded him in death. Surviving him are his wife Linda, sons David (wife Cheryl), Ryan (wife Kara), 6 grandchildren: Regan Grace, Colton Oscar, Kai David Peter, Jacob David, Kallie Merilyn, Maddie Lou and niece Tami Lane Martin.
Dave was loving, protective, soft-spoken, faithful, industrious, logical and analytical, cautious and rarely impulsive, relational, punctual, knowledgeable, reliable and courageous. By the grace of God, his whole life was dedicated to serving his family and his community and his country.
During his childhood, Dave’s family lived in various parts of the country. In 1960, following high school, he joined the Coast Guard. He always credited the Coast Guard for helping him mature and “work hard, do your best and save your money,” values he later taught his sons. He often said every young man should serve in the military to “help him grow up.”
After three years in the engine rooms of Coast Guard cutters and buoy tenders sailing to Hawaii and Japan (1960-1963), Dave was assigned to the Westport Coast Guard Station. In the summer of 1963 he met Linda Myers, a CWU student working at a nearby fishing charter office. A year later, in 1964, Linda graduated from college and began teaching in the Franklin Pierce School District and Engineman Second Class David Lane ended his military career to move to Tacoma in 1965. He worked briefly at a lumber mill until he was hired on Jan. 3, 1966 by the Tacoma Police Department. Dave and Linda were married on August 6, 1966 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Tacoma.
By 1969, with a new baby on the way, Dave (on property purchased from his grandmother) sub-contracted the building of their home where they have lived for 56 years. He knew very little about building, but he hired skilled contractors, learning much from them while he assisted.
Taking advantage of the LEEP funds in the 1970’s, Dave enrolled in night classes at UPS for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration followed by a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration from PLU, all while working full time as a TPD officer.
Dave loved being a police officer, looking forward to each day and building lifetime friendships with fellow officers. During his thirty year career he served in many Divisions: Patrol, Detective, Special Investigations, Criminal Investigations, Robbery/Homicide, Crime Analysis, Vice, Crime Prevention, and Administrative Assistant to the Chief. In 1975 he received the Award of Merit for developing Tacoma’s Neighborhood Watch Program. Dave retired from the TPD March 26, 1996 as a Patrol Lieutenant. The Tacoma mayor recently said at a City Council meeting that Dave “served the city with unwavering dedication and brought compassion, knowledge and leadership to everything he did.”
Following retirement Dave and Linda enjoyed many trips in the USA and abroad, but he was also content to stay home, work on projects and continue part-time at the WW Fair, a “side job” that began in 1973. He was hired by the Fair in 1998 as Chief of Police until resigning in 2010. He also served as treasurer of the Retired Tacoma Police Officers Association from 2007-2019 and was elected by his peers 7 times to serve on the LEOFF 1 Tacoma Police Officers’ Pension Board from 2003-2025. He often claimed that being a law enforcement officer was a great career!
Dave was a supportive, generous, loving husband, father and grandfather. He cheered kids on from the sidelines, attending nearly all their music, school, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and football events, grateful for and proud of each child. He always had a welcoming lap on which children and pets (3 dogs, 5 cats and 3 grand-pups over 55 years) could cuddle.
When Dave and Linda sold their trailer in May, the grandchildren shared special memories of summer vacations with Grandpa: his running through the campground yelling and jumping (very out of character for him!) while being chased and stung by ground bees; Grandpa outside the trailer cooking their breakfasts each morning at both the Columbia River and Sun Lakes; their annual family vacations at Lake Chelan, 2 trips to Disneyland and a trip to Maui to celebrate his and Grandma’s 50th anniversary.
Dave worked hard and persevered until the job was completed, even if it required cutting and stacking a tree in one day. He liked a well-groomed yard, and he raised prolific tomatoes. (Fellow officers nicknamed him “Ed Hume.”) Dave was a runner for several years, often recalling his Half-a-Thon or the Sound of Narrows. He was extremely capable and knowledgeable, and could fix or give wise advice on just about anything,
Dave and Linda have attended Tacoma Bible Presbyterian Church for 20 years, grateful for the continued love, prayers and support. Dave’s faith and trust in the Lord grew stronger over time; he prayed often and saw his prayers answered repeatedly. He knew that he was saved by God’s grace through faith. We miss him beyond words, but he courageously battled cancer for ten months. We are comforted to know God gave Dave the gift of eternal life with Him and he is in heaven with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain. To God Be the Glory!
John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
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