Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....LANE, WILLIAM FLOYD September 2024 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Gina Brown http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006026 June 13, 2025, 12:25 am NEWS STAR WORLD - SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 WILLIAM FLOYD LANE William Floyd “Bill” Lane was born at home in Rayville, Louisiana on January 1, 1942. Born to Robert “Bob” Loyd Lane, Sr. and Bonnie Gene Little Lane. Bill was a twin and his brother, Robert Loyd (Bob) Lane, Jr., was the firstborn brother. At birth, Bill and Bob were two months premature. Bill weighed 3 lbs. 14 oz, and Bob weighed 4 lbs 3 oz. Loyd Lane, Sr. was so proud when the boys were born, he paraded them around town showing them off until he got to the Doctor’s office. The Doctor demanded him to immediately get them to St. Francis hospital in Monroe where they remained in an incubator for five weeks. Their mother, Bonnie Gene, was unable to nurse her twins. Consequently , Mrs. Ritter of Ritter’s Junk Yard on DeSiard Street in Monroe, nursed them during infancy. When the boys visited the Junkyard as teenagers, Mr. Ritter would yell out at the top of his lungs, “There are my nursing boys!” Bill and Bob would find a counter to dive under. Bill did not want to be sitting in a rocking chair at an old age, and say, “ I really wish I had tried that”. Instead, he wanted to say, “Maybe I shouldn’t have tried that”! As a young teenager, Bill began working with his Father for the Ouachita Candy Company, delivering candy to stores around the mid-to-Eastern areas of Louisiana. At age 10, Bill mowed yards during the summer. At age 14, he worked for Hensley’s Super Market on South 3rd and Layton in Monroe during the weekends and all throughout High School. At the same time, Bill worked for Roger’s Conoco on Jackson Street during the week in the summer. After graduating high school, Bill went into the Army for seven years as a Radar operator at Travis Air Force Base (California) for the first three years. During the second 4 years, he was a research physicist for the Nuclear Weapons Effects division,US Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi during the Vietnam era. He graduated from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM in Monroe, Louisiana) with a Major in Physics and Minors in Business and Math. His jobs during college included washing dishes in the school cafeteria; running a printing press for University; sold Life Insurance, all to pay his tuition and living expenses. After the Army Bill worked for IBM, AT&T, Monroe Office Equipment, Standard Enterprises as assistant sales manager of Real Estate, and also worked for the five largest Life Insurance Companies in the US. At age 32 he had a mental health crisis and after two weeks graduated from the VA hospital in Shreveport. His personal therapy was delivering newspapers on a 45-mile long route. Shortly thereafter, Bill studied to become an Ordained Candidate for the Ministry of the United Methodist Church. However, when they offered him a permanent Church assignment, he quickly resigned and ran like a scared rabbit. In 1974, Bill was introduced to the Oil and Gas business from his dear friend, Mr. Frank Spooner of Spirit Petroleum, Monroe, Louisiana. Continuing as an Oil and Gas Petroleum Landman and Title Examiner, Bill eventually started his own company, which, at one time, employed fifty employees. He continued working as a Landman and Title Examiner for fifty more years. Bill also supervised title employees for several pipeline companies. During the slow times in the petroleum industry, he dabbled in many short-term adventures. He drove semi- tractor/trailer rigs for Davison Transport, JB Hunt, and John Fayard Trucking. He also taught math at St. Fredericks High School in Monroe. He said that he had never worked so hard for so little money! Bill had a sincere love for cars. He enjoyed combing through automotive magazines and books. At the time of his death, he had owned a total of 122 cars and trucks, both new and used) and never did sell one for profit. He even tried selling cars for dealerships but without much success. Bill tried doing everything including working at Wal-Mart but for a very short stint. In another short-lived venture and as a salesman, knocking on doors to set appointments for replacement windows. He worked in or visited all the states working at one thing or another. He claimed that he went bankrupt at least three times (that he could remember). Bill will be missed by the many people he encountered throughout his life and career(s). The most valued concept Bill followed was the Course in Miracles. He was dedicated to its teachings and principles and lived his life accordingly. Bill is predeceased in death by his parents and his twin brother, Bob; a half- brother, Michael “Mick”Roger Lane who was named after Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris); and his second wife, Peggy Fairchild Roye Lane. He is survived by his widow, Denay Kimbro Lane; his first wife, Anne Graham Womack, the mother of his son, Graham Loyd Lane (affectionately named after Graham Hill, a race car driver); Graham’s two boys, Griffin Lane and Felix Lane. Bill requested that his body be donated to a school of medicine and no memorial service be held. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ouachita/obits/l/lane8152nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/lafiles/ File size: 5.7 Kb