Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home

FRIENDSHIP — Robert Lane, 89, passed away, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. His close family was at his side. His family rejoiced that he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior before he died. All who have prayed for Bob find comfort in the knowledge that he is home with the Lord.

Born in New Rochelle, New York, on June 29, 1925, he was the son of Carl D. and Sophia Marie G. Lane. His family moved from New York to Connecticut in 1934 where his sister, Alice, was born four years later. The family later moved to Middlebury, Vermont where they remained until 1947.

Shortly after his high school graduation, Bob enlisted in the Merchant Marines, and served in the Army Transportation Corps in England. He assisted the war efforts as captain of a tug boat in the English Channel. Bob survived the war and returned home in 1945. He came to Friendship, Maine shortly after with the intent to enter into an apprenticeship for boatbuilding. There he met his wife, Esther Lash, and the two were married in November of 1947. Bob and Esther eventually settled in Rockport, Maine where they raised four children.

In 1951, Bob started and ran his own wooden boatbuilding shop, the Penobscot Boat Works, in Rockport. Over the course of its 25 years, with Bob at the helm, Penobscot Boat Works employed, at times, up to 25 men building skiffs, sloops, big water powerboats, cruising houseboats, and what would become known as the Penbo runabout. Bob was incredibly efficient and a wise investor. In 1966, the couple purchased land on Cranberry Island where they built a cottage the family continues to enjoy to this day. In the summer of 1975, Bob built his last boat; a cruising houseboat called The Star of Maine, which he and Esther retired to and sailed every winter to the Bahamas for ten years. After 10 seasons of cruising, Bob and Esther returned to Friendship, Maine where they built their home and enjoyed visits from family and friends.

Bob’s craftsmanship extended beyond his work at Penobscot Boat Works. He designed and built four cottages, in addition to his own, on Cranberry Island. His knowledge of wooden boat design transitioned to works in miniature during his retirement, where he created wooden boat models and shadow boxes of well-known boats such as the Battle of the Boxer and Enterprise (his last shadow box completed in December 2014) or boats of significance to the family such as his wife’s father’s working vessels the Myra J. Wooster and the Lillian.

He was known for his long conversations and could often be found on the steps of one of his island neighbors recounting stories from his life or deep in discussion about his favorite subject: the sea and the boats who traveled her. He had an uncanny memory which allowed him to recall great details of the things he read, leading his family to believe he had a photographic memory.

Bob is loved and missed by his wife Esther of 67 years, their four children and their spouses, Gale and Gerald Bailey of Camden, Dan and Beth Lane of Deer Isle, Doug Lane of Camden, and Philip and Lorna Street of Washington. Their grandchildren and spouses, Karen and Ryan Stephenson of Westminster, Colorado, Andrea and Christopher Wheeland of Winooski, Vermont, Nathaniel and Diana Lane of Deer Isle, Erica Street and Maria Street of South Berwick, five great-grandchildren, and his sister Alice Johnson and her husband Paul of Watertown Massachusetts. Bob is predeceased by his granddaughter, Marcia Bailey.

A funeral service was held for Bob on January 17th, 2015 at the Burpee, Carpenters, & Hutchins Funeral Home. Bob was remembered and celebrated by many friends and family who honored his accomplishments, his brilliance, and his everlasting love and generosity to his family. A memorial gathering with military honors will be held this spring with his family and close friends.
“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep” – Psalm 107:23-24. Bob, who spent most of his life on the water, knew better than most His wonders in the deep.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bob's name to the Gordon College Fund, 255 Grapevine Rd, Wenham MA 01984, to help students who wish to attend Gordon College where three of his grandchildren attended.