Joseph Hilliard Lane, Sr. passed away on August 2 at WakeMed North Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was born on May 30, 1941 in Bainbridge, Georgia. In his childhood, he was known as “Bug.” People in Bainbridge would not have known him by “Joe,” but they did know him as a golf prodigy who won many youth tournaments in the 1950s. He attended Georgia Tech on a golf scholarship and earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1964. He later earned a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Joe married Sarah Lynn McFarland on June 27, 1965, and they celebrated sixty years of loving marriage with their family earlier this summer. Together, they raised and educated three children – Joseph Hilliard Lane, Jr. (Julia Wilson, of Raleigh, NC), Lenora Kristeen Lane McCloud (of Ashland, KY), and John Vassar Lane (Tricia Holyfield Lane, of Raleigh, NC). They have six grandchildren – Jake McCloud (Sydney), Charles Lane, Grace Lane, Miriah Lane, Elias Lane, and John Fox McCloud – and four great-grandchildren – Lilly, Jacob, Luke, and Hunter McCloud.

Joe served as a project engineer, manager of maintenance, and director of operations in paper mills for Gilman Paper Company (Saint Mary’s, Georgia), Mead (Kingsport, Tennessee), Georgia Pacific and Domtar Paper Company (both in Port Edwards, Wisconsin). At each stop in his professional career, Joe was deeply involved in the civic life of the communities that he called home – a Rotarian (and two-time club President), a ruling elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Kingsport, and a member of many boards and task forces. He was an avid reader and student of history, and he loved country music and collected rare and signed records from many artists. He celebrated his 60th birthday on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

As an amateur golfer, Joe won many championships including the Greater Kingsport Golf Association Championship in three consecutive years (1974-1976), the Meadowview Club Championship at least nine times, the Ridgefields Invitational, and the International Moose Clubs Championship.

Joe and Sarah Lynn love travel, and together they visited many cities and national parks across the United States, as well as trips to Hawaii, Greece, and Scotland. A cruise to Alaska with all of their children and oldest grandchild in 2005 was a very special highlight.

Joe and Sarah Lynn moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2015 to live near family. Joe loved spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They are all saddened at the loss of their “Papa Joe” whose favorite week of the year was the one they spent together on Ocean Ilse Beach. He delighted in playing a round of golf with his sons, strumming his guitar and singing songs to his grandchildren, sharing ice creams, and holding hands with those he loved on walks.

He was preceded in death by his parents (Vassar Lamar “Red” Lane and Virglyn Maude Andrews Lane). He is survived by his wife of 60 years; his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, his sister Ann Lane Key (Lee), sister-in-law Joan McFarland Wright (Philip), and nieces Angel Key Taylor and Kristeen Wright Curvin.

Words cannot encompass how much he is loved and how deeply he is missed.

A service in memory of Joe will be held in the New Room at Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church on Friday, August 8 at 3:00. The family will receive visitors in the New Room before the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations to the McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, the The R3 program https://fvumc.org/r3overview/ is currently in the phases of making covered access walkways for those with reduced mobility and updating our playground to offer access to children of all abilities. Or the WakeMed Foundation, or the charity of your choice.