Sara Jane Lane

She was born in Rockford, IL, to Royal Kampen (1890-1969), a World War I veteran, and Mildred Light Kampen (1903-1995), a beloved mother. Her older sister, Nancy (Lloyd) Hausknecht, has always been her best friend.

She met the love of her life, Phil E. Lane, while attending Harlem High School, both graduating in 1963. Sara continued her education at Northern Illinois University, graduating with her histopathology certificate and working at St. Anthony Hospital for 9 years. Phil and Sara were engaged on Halloween 1964, married in secret on August 13, 1965, and then publicly wed on September 11, 1965. In 1974, she changed career paths, becoming a domestic engineer upon the birth of her first miracle child, Chad (Karen) Lane (Cherry Valley, IL). In 1976, she then gave birth to her second miracle child, Jodi (Justin) Markle (Quincy, IL). She was so proud of them, with Chad becoming a manufacturing engineer and Jodi becoming a veterinarian.

In 2004, Sara and Phil retired to The Villages, FL. Jodi first made them grandparents with Ripley (2005), then Chad adding Natalie (2014) and Gavin (2016).

Sara excelled in everything she put her mind to. Her creativity could be seen in all aspects of her life, including her interior decorating, gardening, and landscaping. Sara expressed her love to family and friends through individualized greeting cards, even branding her talents as “Creations by Sara”. As “The Garage Sale Queen,” she developed a strategy for efficiently going to dozens of garage sales on Thursday and Friday mornings. She then organized her own highly anticipated and wildly successful annual neighborhood garage sale. Upon moving to The Villages, Sara showed off her bowling skills and loved playing card games with neighbors. She was one of the co founders of the neighborhood KTC, Kempton-Thistledown Club and remained active for 19 plus years. Her neighbors loved her dearly.

Sara endured and survived many illnesses with dozens of surgical procedures due to endometriosis, Seasonal Affective Disorder and Scleroderma, which never slowed her down. She used her medical journeys to advocate and educate others who faced similar challenges. It was not until after a recent shoulder replacement that her health dramatically declined.

The family requests no flowers and no memorial has been established yet.

FLORIDA - Friends are invited to a neighborhood celebration in The Villages, FL on April 27,2024 at her home at 537 Kempton Pl from 1:00pm to 5:00pm

ILLINOIS - Friends and family are invited to attend a Celebration of Life in Rockford on 5/19/2024 at the home of her son, Chad. Event details at https://fb.me/e/1h7tZghda