LANE, John Robert

John Robert Lane died at home in Vancouver on December 16, 2024. He was predeceased by his brother, Peter; his sister, Wendy McDougall; and his father, Robert. He is survived by and dearly missed by his wife, Dianne Slimmon (married 30 years), and by his mother, Lucille Lane (103 years of age in February). He is survived by his much-loved sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, and many nieces and nephews, and greats. His Aunt Amy and several cousins also survive John.

John was born in Shawville, Quebec, his mother’s childhood home. His father’s naval career would ensure John saw more of the country than most. He grew up partially in Ottawa but also crossed the country to Victoria and back a few times with his family and their beloved Basset Hound, Cappie. As the eldest of three, he would be a trailblazer for his sister, Wendy, and his brother, Peter, whenever they would enter new schools and make new friends after a move. In Victoria John loved wandering the beach in search of interesting creatures. Early on, he demonstrated entrepreneurial skills and business savvy, renting the family lawn mower to mow people’s lawns as a business. When in Ottawa John would rejoin his “firstest, bestest” buddy, Lars, on their exploring adventures as “The Bicycling Nature Boys”. In 1964 John graduated from Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, and went on to Queen’s University for post-secondary education.

At university, John demonstrated his leadership skills as the Science ’68 president and as an executive of the Engineering Science Society. He forged many enduring friendships which lasted through to the present. After working each summer at various jobs in Northern Ontario mining towns, John graduated with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Queen’s University in 1968. In the summer after graduation, John’s life changed in a moment when a diving accident caused a spinal cord injury. He gave up his promising career as a mining engineer in Wawa, Ontario, and the hiking and canoeing adventures he loved to share with his friend, Rick, and much more. However, he and Rick continued to explore logging roads on four-wheel drive “bushwalking” trips to experience the sights and sounds of the forest.

John had the inner strength “to make lemonade out of lemons” according to his friend, Lars. He worked variously in stock brokering, airport planning, and social development planning with the federal government. Then in 1976, John was recruited to head the Manitoba division of the Canadian Paraplegic Association (now SCIM) where he worked until 1994 with a dedicated team of employees. There he influenced changes to the Federal Elections Act to improve accessibility at voting stations and changes to municipal building codes to provide better accessibility, including intersection curb-cut installations. He secured funding for an Indigenous counsellor position for CPA members from Indigenous communities and expanded CPA’s services to two other Manitoba cities. He was instrumental in making self-managed home care services available in the province and created the Manitoba Paraplegic Foundation to support SCI research at the University of Manitoba and members who have needs unmet elsewhere. John established the Spinal Cord Research Centre at the U of M and helped organize the first-ever conference for farmers with disabilities.

John’s commitment to enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities extended to the international field. Development projects in Guyana and Nicaragua were created and carried out by people with disabilities with John’s encouragement and advice.

In 1994, John married Dianne on her parents’ farm in Manitoba. Shortly after they moved to Vancouver where John accepted a position as Accessibility Advisor in the UBC’s Planning Department. He enjoyed the work surveying campus buildings and prioritizing accessibility requirements, and then monitoring installation of accessibility improvements. He made individual accommodations for students and staff alike. His accessibility knowledge base expanded to include acoustics, universal design, and the building industry.

John was a gifted communicator and managed to be the thoughtful, positive voice in any discussion. His curious mind, diverse life experiences and innate coaching abilities allowed him to empower and draw out the best in others. John was a natural counselor, offering encouragement and sage advice to people around him.

Following retirement John continued to pursue his many interests, including birds, rocks, early human cultures, Scotch whiskies, watching his favourite sports, and admiring gardens in his beloved Kits. He had deep intellectual curiosity and a wicked sense of humour. He shared all these in his daily calls to his mother in the last several years.

John’s morning attendant staff became family to John and Dianne and their years providing care to John spoke to their devotion to him. He endured many health issues. In later years, ill health forced John into hospital a number of times. On his last visit he declared, “I hate giving up!”

To quote Lars: “His intelligence and determination enabled him to become independent and contribute to society. He enriched the lives of the many people he knew and the lucky ones whom he loved. His was a life well-lived, because he was determined to make it so.”

A celebration of John’s life will be held June 18, 2025 1:00-3:00 p.m., at the University Golf Club, 5185 University Boulevard, Vancouver.