Andrew F. Lane

With immense gratitude for a life passionately lived, we share the passing of Andrew F. Lane on March 27, 2025 at 90 years old. Just as he wanted, he died peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and three surviving children. He was holding hands with the love of his life, Margo (Wiley) Lane.  

Along with Margo, his wife of 61 years, Andy is survived by his son Drew, daughters, Sara and Julie, daughter-in-law Lisa Craig and son-in-law Matthew Kane. He was predeceased by his son, Mark, in 2012.  He leaves ten beloved grandchildren who called him Grandy: Anna Lane, Audrey Lane, and Christian Lane; Wiley Lane, Peyton Lane, Grant, Lane, and Trevor Lane; and Amelia Kane, Eliza Kane, and Colin Kane.  He also leaves his three sisters, Margaret Mary Loughnane, Andrea deMars, and Elizabeth Bradley and twenty loving nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his brother, Frank Lane, and sister, Rose Marie deMars.

Born on September 27, 1934 in Boston, to Andrew and Rose Marie Lane, Andy grew up near Crystal Lake in Newton, the fourth of six children. After attending Sacred Heart School in Newton Centre, he graduated in 1952 from Boston Latin School and was a very proud member of the class of 1956 at the College of the Holy Cross where he made life-long friends and remained an active alumnus.  He graduated in 1959 from Harvard Law School.  

For 45 years, Andy practiced law as a trial lawyer in Boston.  He loved the practice of law. He was a relentless advocate for his clients, disappearing into conference rooms to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of the facts at issue.   He tried many prominent cases and was recognized as a highly skilled litigator whose sharp, fact-filled oral arguments led to favorable verdicts and resolutions for his clients.  Equally as important to him as trial outcomes, Andy developed deep and lasting friendships with younger lawyers for whom he was a mentor.  For his 80th birthday, his "mentees" (then in their 60s and 70s) threw him a party.  

Andy lived life with zest and endless curiosity.  He loved to listen and learn and he had endless enthusiasm for meeting new people and having new experiences.  In retirement, he sang, took and taught classes, and travelled the world with Margo and friends.  For years he sang as a member of both the Apollo Club of Boston and the Boston Saengerfest Men's Chorus.  He was proud to have sung in Royal Albert Hall in London five times with Saengerfest.  Closer to home, Andy brightened every family birthday with a unique version of the Happy Birthday song.   A lifelong piano player (who never took lessons but could play anything by ear), his home was always filled with music. Margo and Andy's annual Christmas caroling party was a tradition for decades- the last Friday before Christmas was a standing date.  With his passion for piano and  for his alma mater, Holy Cross, Andy led the  class of 1956 fundraising effort to purchase a concert grand piano for the brand new Prior Performing Arts Center.  Andy was the first to play that piano for his classmates at the opening night celebration last spring. 

He satisfied his insatiable curiosity by joining the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR), where he relished being both a student and teacher.  Soon after retiring, Andy volunteered with Greater Boston Legal Services, where he mentored and befriended lawyers and paralegals providing free legal services to low-income residents.  Andy was honored to receive the GBLS service award. 

Throughout, Andy and Margo had a busy home on Otis Street in Newtonville, where they lived for nearly 60 years.  One of Andy's favorite things was sitting on his front porch greeting everyone who walked by.  Neighbors would refer to him as “Mayor of Otis Street."  Andy's life was enriched by love of his dachshunds and golden retrievers, the Mad River Valley in Vermont, the Red Sox, and Margo's gourmet cooking.  Always a step ahead, Andy was known - in everyday conversation- to use Latin phrases, and esoteric facts about geography, music, and history.  He relished good conversation and having a willing audience to share his stories and opinions. He enjoyed solving the pangram of The New York Times Spelling Bee every Sunday.

Andy drew great strength from his Catholic faith. For many years,  Andy was a lector and active parishioner at St. Philip Neri Church in Waban.  He was baptized and an altar boy at Sacred Heart Parish in Newton where his funeral Mass will take place.  

The family extends its gratitude to the Hospice of the Good Shepard whose team befriended, nursed, and sang with Andy as he navigated the past 16 months.

There will be visiting hours on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 4 pm to 7 pm at Eaton & Mackay Funeral Home, 465 Centre Street, Newton. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday April 12 at noon at Sacred Heart Parish, 1317 Centre Street, Newton Centre. Burial will be private.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to Greater Boston Legal Services (https://www.gbls.org/donation-form)  in his name.  

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