Richard Brian “Dick” Lane

Richard Brian “Dick” Lane passed away on February 8, 2025, in Missoula, Montana, after a full and rich life. Born November 14, 1941, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Kenneth Stacy Lane and Dorothy (Sanborn) Lane, Dick was an intelligent and endlessly curious man with a generous heart. He loved teaching and sharing knowledge and believed deeply that learning enriched people’s lives.

Dick’s childhood took him and his family across several parts of the country. From Providence, the family moved to the Fort Lincoln area near Bismarck, North Dakota, and later to Riverdale, North Dakota. As a young man, Dick was active in the Boy Scouts and played trumpet in his high school band. The family later moved to Kansas City, Kansas, where he continued his involvement in scouting as an Explorer Scout. Dick graduated from Shawnee Mission High School in 1959.

Dick attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. While at Carleton, Dick developed a passion for mountain climbing and fell in love with the Grand Tetons, beginning a lifelong appreciation for the mountains and the challenge of technical climbing. He continued his education at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, earning a Master of Science degree in mathematics.

Dick eventually made his home in Missoula, where his love of mathematics, teaching, and technology became an important part of his professional and personal life. At the University of Montana, he served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Mathematics and also worked in Computing and Information Services. He found meaning in his work and was committed to doing it well, always looking ahead toward new ideas, technologies, and innovations. Long before the World Wide Web became an ordinary part of daily life, Dick recognized its potential and encouraged others to embrace the possibilities it offered.

His academic work also extended into publishing. In 1993, Dick co-authored the exercises and solutions manual accompanying *Calculus* by Richard B. Lane and Stanley I. Grossman.

Over the years, Dick became a familiar face on the University of Montana campus and within the many communities to which he gave his time and talents. He will be remembered for his quick wit, determination, passion for truth, and willingness to become deeply involved in the things that interested him. Among his many pursuits were the Montana Science Fair, bicycle racing, technical climbing, and the local Macintosh user group.

For Dick, retirement certainly did not mean an end to learning. He remained an enthusiastic student of anything that captured his imagination, particularly projects at the intersection of mathematics, computing, design, and practical application. He enjoyed the challenges of chess and Go and, in recent years, even turned his mathematical mind toward exploring the statistical probabilities behind Wordle answers.

Dick also especially enjoyed playing Mahjong with a weekly group of friends. As was his nature, simply enjoying something himself wasn't quite enough—he enjoyed sharing it, too, and took pleasure in teaching the game to his godchildren and their friends.

Dick never married, but his life was filled with family, friendship, and relationships he treasured. He is survived by his brother, Douglas H. Lane; sister-in-law, Judith Ann “Judy” Lane; nieces Katherine Diane Lane and Rebecca Lane-Ramsey; nephew Brian Nordstrom Lane, MD; as well as his extended family.

He is also lovingly remembered by the Sedgley family, whom Dick generously “adopted” as his own. He was a devoted godfather to Ryan, Anna, and Nelly Sedgley and a loyal friend to their mother, Janet. His friendship, generosity, steadfast support, and seemingly endless supply of “punny” godfather jokes enriched the lives of the Sedgley family beyond measure.

Dick lived his life with curiosity. Whether he was working through a mathematical problem, embracing a new technology, climbing a mountain, riding a bicycle, playing a game, teaching someone something new, or simply pursuing the latest subject to catch his interest, he was rarely content to stop learning.

Those who knew Dick will remember a man who thought deeply, gave generously, challenged himself and others, and remained curious about the world throughout his life. The knowledge he shared, the friendships he cultivated, and the many lives he touched are a fitting legacy for a lifelong teacher and learner.