I met Jeff shortly after his father, Bill Lane, bought the Bell Ranch in the early 70's. Jeff always saw the good in people and had a way of bringing it out in them. I never heard Jeff utter a bad word about anyone; through Jeff's stories and descriptions of others you would't know there was a bad person alive. I think he inherited that trait from his Dad.
The thing I loved most about Jeff was his unending enthusiasm for just about
everything. It didn't matter what it was: his family, ranching, his hired help,
water skiing, snow skiing, flying, music, trail rides, the land, etc., Jeff
was always 100% gung ho about it. In 2006 when Christine and I went on the couples
trail ride, she was so impressed that even though Jeff had been on the same
trail so many times before, his enthusiasm for the whole event was contagious;
it was as though he was riding the trail for the first time. His excitement
made everyone around him feel good. We loved listening and watching Jeff play
the wash tub with Jr. and all the "real" musicians. Jeff got pretty
damn good on that thing!
Jeff and Christine
Jeff loved kids and he loved to fly. My son Colton went along with Jeff, my
niece Kelly, and me, to Oshkosh Wisconsin in 2005 to one of the world's largest
fly ins. During that week Jeff made quite the impression on Colton who was 7
years old at the time. After spending five days with him, Colton felt Jeff was
his best friend. It had been quite a few years since I had flown with Jeff and
I was quite impresed with the way he flew his turboprop.
Colton and Jeff at Oshkosh
Jeff Lane, we will certainly miss you. This world has lost a portion of humanity
with your passing! We love you. Good-by, Jeff!
Eric Trigg