Lane Edward Blankenship, God's precious son, passed on to be in his Father's presence on May 16, 2009. Born on January 2, 1921, near Manes, Missouri, to James Robert and Lenna Ann Blankenship, Lane was an identical twin. He and his brother, Bane, were the fifth and sixth children of eight in the family. Lane grew into a hard-working and respectful young man. He and his beloved twin brother learned to support themselves and their family by trapping animals for food during the Great Depression. Entering into a contract to buy a neighboring farm at the ages of 12, the twins had the farm paid for by 18 years of age. Lane married Wilma Prock, the sweetheart and love of his life, one day before Pearl Harbor was bombed. Shortly after, the young couple moved to Paola, Kansas, where Lane's life was forever changed by accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior. Lane's life was marked by the Christ-like love he showed to others. In Japan, serving as an Army medic, Lane tenderly cared for children with frostbitten feet and radiation poisoning. As a husband and father, his family was his first and foremost priority. He camped, hunted and fished with his family, took time to skip rocks and tell stories, enjoyed telling jokes and playing hard ... he was the definition of a loving and fun father. Lane's upbeat, positive attitude and zest for life will be sorely missed. As a churchman and community member, Lane gave freely of himself. If hearing of a financial need, Lane would scrape together the money to help others or give of his services, e.g., selling someone's home without a commission. He served the church as a board member, usher, and young leader for years. In 1980, when Columbia Community Church was to be built, Lane took off a year, accepting no pay, to supervise the building of the church. Lane was also an astute businessman, owner of Superior Realty, builder of fine homes L.E. Blankenship Construction, Inc. and developer of residential subdivisions, i.e. Blossom Hills, Lakeview Terrace, and Hills West. Lane's ethical and fair treatment of others in business was well known. He treated others according to the Golden Rule. Lane's resilience and love of life was keenly seen in 1994 when he had a terrible accident, falling through a roof and breaking his back. Lane trusted God to heal him and fought back to live life fully. Thought never to walk again, Lane walked and ran. He spent 15 quality years with his beloved wife and family fishing the lakes, playing 'grizzly bear' with his grandsons, and praising God for each day. Lane is survived by his dear wife, Wilma, and children: Neal Blankenship son & his wife, Marcia; and Linda Peterman daughter & her husband, Randall; grandsons: Chad & Mystie Blankenship, Josh & Amanda Blankenship, Reed & Megan Peterman, Andrew Peterman, & Kyle Peterman. Great-grandchildren: Grace, Taryn & Wyatt. Siblings: Bonnie sister & Glenn Gambil and Bane brother & June Blankenship. Prior to the funeral, a viewing will be held on Tuesday from 6-8:00 p.m. at Mueller's Funeral Home. A celebration of Lane's life will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m., at Columbia Community Church 150 Gage Blvd. - Richland. Interment at Desert Lawn Cemetery 1401 S. Union - Kennewick will immediately follow services.