Jim was born on July 9, 1929 in Pittsburgh, PA to Mortimer and Mary (Knapp) Lane. Jim and his twin sister were the youngest of seven children. He received his BA in Economics from Wheaton College in 1952 and his MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago in 1953. He had a successful career in investment management, working at Chase Manhattan Corporation for 25 years. Jim ended those years as EVP of the bank and President and CEO of Chase Investors Management Corporation. He went on to work as Managing Director at C.J. Lawrence before finishing his career at National Bank of Detroit as SVP and Chief Investment Officer of the Investment Management Division. He also served as a Director of Chateau Communities Inc. and Rockefeller Center.
Though energized by business, Jim’s main passions were his faith, his family, and sports. On
December 16, 1950, Jim married his college sweetheart, Arlyne (Nelson) Lane and they happily
shared nearly 70 years together. They raised and loved their five children (Jim, Ted, Tom,
Karen and David) and cherished their children’s spouses, the 12 grandchildren, and 14 great
grandchildren that came along through the years. Jim was an amazing Dad, Grandad and
Grampy — his family loved and adored him and appreciated his wise advice and wonderful
sense of humor. After starting out briefly in Wheaton, IL, Jim and Arlyne spent most of their
child raising years in Chatham, NJ before moving to Grosse Pointe Farms, MI and then retiring
to Florida. It was their summer home in Stone Harbor, NJ, however, that became the pinnacle
of family and friend gatherings and so much love and laughter.
Jim loved sports. He was a talented athlete, playing both college basketball and baseball, and
he was inducted into the Wheaton College Athletics Hall of Honor as a member of the 1951 CCI
champion baseball team. He also enjoyed playing tennis and golf in later years. While he liked
watching just about any sport, baseball was his passion and the Cubs were his team.
The foundation of Jim’s life was his Christian faith. Jim was known as a man of integrity,
generosity and love, and faithfully served Jesus Christ in all aspects. He led by example and
was an amazing role model, leaving behind a lasting legacy of prayer and consistent devotions.
He carried on his father’s tradition of reading the “Travelers Psalm”, Psalm 121, before family
trips, adding in the beginning and ending location of the trip to personalize the Scripture. He
graciously and abundantly gave of his time and money to Christian churches and organizations,
including serving on the boards of Wheaton College (33 years), Deerfoot Lodge (36 years),
William Tyndale College, and Baseball Chapel, among others. In 2004, J im and his wife
Arlyne were honored by the Alumni Association as the Wheaton College Alumni of the
Year for Distinguished Service to Alma Mater.
At this time, the family is not planning a memorial gathering but hopes to schedule a
service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, if you prefer, donations in memory of Jim can
be made to Wheaton College (IL) or Deerfoot Lodge.
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