Daniel Joseph "Joe" Lane

D. Joseph “Joe” Lane, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, lifelong lover of people, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Joe died at home in Bethany Beach, Delaware, where he and his beloved wife, Dorothy, have lived for the last 30 years. He was 88 years old.

Joe was born January 18, 1935, to his Irish immigrant parents, Mary (O’Sullivan) and Patrick Lane, on Allison Street in NW Washington, D.C. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Dorothy S. (Rogers) Lane; his children Daniel (Karen), Patrick (Claire), Anne-Marie Smith (Raghu Raghavan), son-in-law David Schwartz, Matthew (Jane Kim), Brendan (Bonnie). Joe was predeceased by daughter Mary, in 2007. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Joe graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1953. After serving in the Army, he graduated from Georgetown University and began a lifelong career with IBM, which took his family to Denver, Colorado, before returning the family to Maryland where they settled in Montgomery Village, Maryland. Joe and Dorothy lived in “the Village” for 18 years before retiring to Bethany Beach

While living in Montgomery Village, Joe was an active member of St. Rose of Lima Parish and its “Team X” small faith community. Joe raised tens of thousands of dollars through his famous VIP dance, which benefited St. Rose’s social concerns ministry.

After retiring to Bethany, he continued his civic and charitable work, often with St. Ann’s Catholic Church. Joe spent countless hours organizing the annual “Very Important Charities” dance benefiting St. Vincent De Paul, Joanne’s Book Giveaway Project and Rise to Hunger organizations. He served as chairman of the town’s annual Fourth of July parade, worked with Meals on Wheels, local library fundraising, the parish Men’s Club and Voice of the Faithful. Friends will also cherish memories of the large-group trips he organized over 20 years to visit numerous places on four continents.

Joe simply loved sports – coaching, playing and watching. He enjoyed (a cold beer after) playing tennis, basketball, and tolerated jogging to try to keep up with Dorothy. He coached basketball and was president of the I-270 Youth Basketball league. In Bethany, he played tennis and was active with Bayside Tennis.

Joe was a true “people person” and will be dearly missed by family and a large circle of friends. Among our favorite memories are his affectionate roasts, which he presented as public proclamations that always began with, “Whereas …” Joe loved life and loved us all – so very well. We will always be grateful and we will always miss him.A funeral mass will be held at St. Ann’s in Bethany Beach on Tues., Nov. 14th at 11 am, with visitation starting at 10 am. A lunch reception will follow. A wake is planned at De Vol Funeral Home in Gaithersburg, MD on Thursday, Nov. 16th from 2-4 pm and burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring on Friday, Nov. 17th at 11:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Gonzaga College High School or St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bethany.

Online condolences can be made by visiting, www.melsonfuneralservices.com.