Person:Dennis Lane (2)

In 1920 Dennis' father Harris began to build a home for his family on Bryant ave North in Minneapolis. They started with one room and as materials were purchased, he added on to it. At one point the sub-floor arrived, and Dennis and his younger brother Bennett, wanting to help dad, took hammers and knocked out all the knots in the boards. Harris was not very happy at all about this. When he did get the floor nailed down, Harris found that Dennis and Bennett had followed along behind him with their hammers and nails. They had pounded the nails between the boards, so that when you looked at it from the basement, you saw many nails coming through the spaces between the boards.

Dennis was born into a strong Norwegian family that were very active and committed members of Bethlehem Norwegian Methodist Church in Minneapolis. Not only his immediate family, but extended members also including cousins and grandmother Dorthea. When Dennis was in high school at North High School, a man by the name of Stanley Avery came to listen to the choir with his choir in mind. He heard Dennis sing, and asked if he would come and be a member of the choir at St. Marks Cathedral. He talked it over with his parents, and although they were not completely pleased at this change, they allowed it. Grandmother Dorthea, however was not pleased. Her words to Dennis were "What have you done?!". He joined the choir anyway, and it was there 4 years later that he met his wife Lois.

After Dennis and Lois were married, they set off for a week long honeymoon at a cabin on Green Lake. They left on Saturday June 25, 1938. Monday morning both Lois' mother Harriet, and Dennis' parents Inga and Harris were at the house in Morningside, when the newlyweds pulled into the driveway. They wondered what was wrong. Was the marriage over? During the two days they were gone, Lois had come down with the measles. During that time measles meant quarantine, so that was why they were back. They didn't want to be quarantined in a cabin for the duration. Lois' only comment about that quarantine was that Dennis tried to teach her how to play chess, and she was not a very good student at all.

Dennis and Lois lived in the Greene family home, in Morningside, a small suburb of Minneapolis. Dennis was organist and choirmaster in a number of Episcopal churches in Minnesota? In 1941, they were driving home from Ascension Church in Stillwater when they heard the news about the attack at Pearl Harbour, and the start of WWII. In 1949, the year the oldest child was born, Dennis was the organist and choirmaster at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, a new parish in Edina. He enabled the purchase of a new pipe organ for this church, and had a girls choir, a boys choir, and the sanctuary choir.

Dennis spent the remainder of his life as a professional musician. He was organist, choirmaster, violinist, teacher and performer. In his lifetime he had hundreds of music students, mostly piano, violin viola and cello.

His greatest joy was his children, and subsequently his grandchildren, who followed suit and all four being respected musicians. The youngest and only grandson, Joseph, has become a marvelous vocalist, and actor. Dennis would be so happy to hear him perform.

Dennis was always reading, and learning new things. In the early 1990's he moved into modern times, and purchased a computer that would enable to input and print his own musical compositions. He was always learning from what ever source was available. Even 2 weeks before he passed away, we made our regular trip to the library, so he would have books to read.

July 22, 1997 Dennis sucumbed to leukemia, and died in his town home in Stillwater, with family with him. He is greatly missed, but we have some wonderful memories, and the gift of music.