I’m Doug Lane. My world changed forever on January 29, 2025, when my wife Christine and son Spencer lost their lives in the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington, DC. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, a posed photo of my family dressed in blue seemed to be everywhere. But the version above better reflects who we really were. Life was chaotic and messy at times. Maybe even most of the time. But it was also beautiful.
As my younger son Milo and I grieve and navigate our “new normal” day by day, I will use this email list to share stories, photos, and videos of Christine, Spencer, and the people who shaped their individual and shared journeys. Right now, my brain—and our family photo collection—are both a mess. So, the stories and images I share won’t be chronological. I'll share stories as they come to me and photos and videos as I find them.
I hope you’ll follow along—and maybe even reply to one of my emails with a story of your own.
Big siblings
When Spencer began his training at The Skating Club of Boston, we were a bit star-struck at first. We had watched elite skaters like Maxim Naumov and the pairs team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe (later to be known as “big Spencer”) on TV. At Skate America in 2022,
They should still be here
How many near misses between helicopters and airplanes should occur at one airport before some kind of action is taken? I’m guessing your answer is less than 15,214. How many feet below a descending airplane carrying your family members should a military helicopter be allowed to fly? Would
Love in focus
In addition to being very skilled as a quilter and maker, Christine was also an accomplished photographer. This passion came from her father, Wayne Conrad. Wayne shared some thoughts about their shared love of photography: I got my first Kodak Brownie camera at about the age of six and have
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