Lane Colin Gardinier
July 15, 1969 - July 12, 2022
After nearly 4 years of living with cancer, Lane left his earthly body, on July 12, 2022, three days before his 53rd birthday. Lane was surrounded by family and friends.
Lane was born on July 15, 1969 in Mt. Vernon, WA and moved around the state during childhood, as his father worked for the WA State Patrol. After graduating from Kennewick High School in 1987, Lane was a licensed cosmetologist for a short time and worked in sales at Pacific Steel in Pasco, transferring to the Salt Lake City office in 1996. In 2000 Lane moved back to the PNW — Seattle and then Portland — before returning to Salt Lake City in 2003. In 2001, Lane lost the majority of his eye sight to a rare inflammatory disease, punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC), which prevented him from continuing in a field that required heavy computer usage. Lane used this as an opportunity to go back to school and pursue his true calling of helping others as a therapist, a career that he could excel at in spite of the disability. Lane earned his BA in Sociology in 2009 and Master of Social Work in 2014 at the University of Utah. Lane worked as a Therapist at Westminster College, The Utah Pride Center and most recently at Alliance Counseling. Lane was also a Disability Advisor at the U of U. Assisting students with disabilities was something Lane related to on a personal level. Lane was very passionate about helping those less fortunate than himself and served on the Board of Directors at Crossroads Urban Center since 2006. Crossroads offers an emergency food pantry, as well as clothing, shoes, and household essentials free of charge to those in need, where Lane spent many hours volunteering, making a difference in people's lives.
Lane has always loved animals, especially cats, and always had pets that were his “children.” In earlier years, Lane loved camping with friends and family, spending time on PNW beaches, snow skiing, and attending concerts. Meeting Aerosmith with Carla was a highlight! As a fan of the Utah Jazz, Lane enjoyed attending games with his best friend Jon. Lane had a gift of making people laugh with his quick wit, and quickly put people at ease with his engaging conversations and ability to truly listen. Lane was one of the most courageous, strong, positive, beautiful souls to walk Earth; an old soul, full of wisdom and compassion for all living things. The impact he had on the lives he touched is immeasurable, inspiring others to be the very best version of themselves. Lane was a remarkable person that will never be forgotten and will be deeply missed forever.
Lane leaves behind a large community of friends and family, including father Richard Gardinier, mother Nelda Daves-Smith, sister Carla Gardinier, nieces Taryn and Kaylin Harkness, and long-time friend Jon Blanch.
On Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 1:00pm, a beach side service will be held at Rosario Beach, Washington. Lane’s final wishes were to return to his birthplace and become one with his previously passed pets and the salt water.
Special thanks to Huntsman Cancer Institute for the amazing care Lane received over the past 4 years, to Hospice and good friend Charmaine Vinnedge who acted as Doula in the final days, and to Jon Blanch for his amazing support of Lane over the years.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the causes that Lane was most passionate about; Crossroads Urban Center at www.crossroadsurbancenter.org and Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc. www.blindcatrescue.com
In Loving Memory
What a beautiful tribute to Lane. It is so true that he had a quick wit and immediately made you at ease. My biggest memories of Lane are of long nights talking -- hanging out at Jon's place and just laughing, talking about everything under the sun. He was one of my favorite people to talk to. I also appreciated how you acknowledged his great courage. He faced all of life's challenges with optimism and bravery, including his cancer diagnosis. He is a great teacher in this way. I will never forget Lane. He is deeply adored by the Blanch family and will forever be a part of it. All my love to Lane's family, friends, and my beloved brother Jon during this very difficult time. I am glad Lane is no longer in pain and has passed on to something else -- probably already helping some adorable creatures in need in some other universe. Thank you forever Lane for all the love and for sharing in our family's story.
To my beautiful friend Lane Gardinier both inside and out. You definitely will be missed. I have looked up to you so much, those long nights, group projects, tears, laughters at the silliest of things in graduate school. I will cherish these little moments for as long as l can live. As an Irish person, it's entirely natural to feel invincible. Like you'll live forever. The concept of death - even being an old person - feels so alien that you rarely consider it. Your own mortality gets brushed to one side, almost as though it doesn't apply to you. But the truth is, none of us know how long we'll be here. We can hedge our bets, but we never know if one of a number of things might happen and our time will be cut short. Just like my dearest friend Lane Gardiner. He was a fighter until the end. My heart shatters this day but l know also l will see you again soon. These memorable moments l will hold dear to my heart. But you have lived a memorable life but now that you have left this earthly life, l for one and like so many others will treaure those memorable moments. That is, until it happens. And that's exactly what happened to my friend Lane Gardinier. had to deal with in recent months and years.After being diagnosed with cancer, these past few years. Lanre's fought it so positively to the end. Despite being in my eyes ever so young, happy and previously healthy, Lane's life was going to come to a premature end. I cannot even imagine battling with this kind of realisation is difficult for anyone, and Lane was ever so keen to share with others some of the wisdom he had gained from his heartbreaking experience. So before Lane's death, l spent a weekend with him. Lane penned a long, emotional conversation with me reminding us not to take things for granted, and to put the small worries and stresses we have in perspective. Now following Lane's passing, so many of Lane's friends and family members are constanly reminded of his amazing legacy he has left behind.Here's are some thoughtful words that discribes Lane of to a T- postitivity, powerfull strength, resillience, tenacity: Here is what he said to me that l will treasure forever" That’s the thing about life; It is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift, not a given right. Love these words. To Carla Gardinier, Gardinier's family and Jon Blanch , my heart reaches out to you guys. I for one will miss him dearly as l will treasure all of our memorable moments and times we shared together. I for one also will miss ya. Take Care my friend until we meet again. RIP. Your loving adopted Irish brother. Irish Mike.
My Cousin, Was always supportive, of my Art Work. I have always been proud to be his Cousin. I will miss you so, be free and see everything you have wanted to see! Bye4Now, we will see each other again.
Lane carried so much compassion and kindness with him everywhere he went and was such a lovely and thoughtful person to everyone, on two legs or four. I've never met anyone kinder, or a better listener. My love to all of Lane's loved ones, especially my dear cousin Jon.
I met Lane in 2015, when I started working at the University of Utah. Lane was one of my first friends in Salt Lake City. We were seated next to one another at a student affairs event and had a blast trading stories about our work and life and getting to know one another. Years later, in my final internship of grad school I was delighted to discover I’d be working along side Lane again at the Utah Pride Center. During that time, Lane became a mentor to me, and our friendship grew too. I had the privilege of getting to know him on a deeper level in that time. Lane guided me through tough and complicated moments as a brand new therapist. The wisdom and support he so willingly offered helped me learn, grow, and support others in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise known how to do. I will always reflect on my experience learning from Lane with immense gratitude, and as a great privilege in my life. What a special and rare opportunity to get to learn from someone so fantastically compassionate and brilliant. I am so much the better off for having had the experience of being guided by Lane and I still take the lessons I learned from him into my work and life, I imagine I always will. I will forever be in awe of Lane’s thoughtfulness and creative ideas about how the world can be better. There was never anyone left out when Lane was considering the welfare of others. I’ll always admire and seek to emulate the way he approached the challenges of the world, always considering how things could be better for everyone. Beyond all these admirable qualities, Lane was simply a lovely person to be around. Lane’s presence and energy always felt so engaging, fun, and safe to be around and enjoy. It was always a nicer day when Lane was around. I wish I could have had the opportunity to let Lane know how much he impacted my life, and how appreciated he is. I hope he can feel the gratitude and love I have for him wherever his soul is now. I will always be inspired by the way Lane engaged with life, advocated for others, and ultimately used his time in his life to lift up and elevate the world simply by being himself. to Lane's family and loved ones, I am sending you so much compassion at this time. My hope for you is comfort and peace now and in all the days ahead. It is an honor to share my memories of Lane with those who loved him. Thank you so much for being you, and for sharing yourself with the world, Lane. You will be thought of often with gratitude, admiration, respect, and love.
Condolences to Lane's family. We have wonderful memories of nights spent at great dinners with Lane and Jon in Salt Lake City, relaxed and laughing. I remember being so proud of his academic accomplishments and later for his passion for his work. He was great, and the world is poorer for his loss. This was a beautiful tribute. Kristy and Rusty
My condolences to Lane's family. I worked with Lane at Pacific Steel in Pasco. We become good friends. I have so many great memories that I will cherish forever. Lane was a beautiful person with a huge heart. He will be greatly missed. RIP IN PEACE MY DEAR FRIEND Elise
My dearest evergreen friend Lane... I love you. I am still in disbelief. I met Lane when he first moved to Salt Lake City, in the early 90s. We were kindred. Old souls that had met before, and our friendship was a daily celebration of life for more than a decade. We had many friends come and go, but we always found alignment in how and why we were alive on this earth: to help each other. He loved his sister, Mom and Dad so dearly. He was an example of simplicity, endurance, strength, compassion, and independence. Never afraid to set a direction and fully commit with all his strength and wisdom. I can't believe you are gone. I know you know that I have breathed easier because you have lived. Thanks for being such an evergreen gift in my life. I will never forget your kindness. I'd also like to thank Jon Blanche. I love you too. Thanks for all you did for our dearest friend Lane. You will rest in peace forever.. we will meet again...
In Loving Memory
