Vivian Irene (Tate) Lane

Vivian Irene Tate Lane

Her Journey

April 17, 1926 - March 10, 2021

Vivian Irene Tate Lane, 94, affectionately known as “Renee,” was born to the late Pinkney and Emma Tate, on Saturday, April 17, 1926 in McDowell County, North Carolina. She quietly slipped away from us on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

 Irene, as she was often called, attended primary school in McDowell County, and graduated from Washington High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Ever an advocate for education, she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Shaw University, and a Master of Education Degree from North Carolina Central University (NCCU).  Irene taught visually impaired primary grade students at the Governor Morehead School for over 30 years. She loved her students and they loved her, many maintaining contact throughout their adulthood.

 Irene was active in the Raleigh community and involved in numerous civic and social organizations.  Some of them included: Jack and Jill of America, Inc., the NAACP, NCCU Golden Eagles, Shaw University Alumni Association, and Les Pins Neighborhood Club.  For over 60 years, she was a faithful member of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, where she graciously and generously volunteered her time in service to others.  For 70 years, she was a dedicated member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and as a member of the Alpha Theta Omega Chapter, she held many leadership positions.  For her years of service to the organization, she was awarded the status of “Pearl” member by the National Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

 Irene loved to travel and cherished memories of her tours of North, Central and South America, Asia, and the Mediterranean.  An avid golfer, she was a charter member of Meadowbrook Country Club in Garner, North Carolina. Irene enjoyed water aerobics, walking the racetrack with friends, and many other forms of physical activity.

 Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. David P. Lane, Sr.; her son, Victor, and her nine siblings. She leaves to cherish her memories, a daughter, Deborah; a son, David; and a beloved grandson, Drew; sister and brother-in-law, Helen Tate Hickmon (Floyd); nieces and nephews; grandnieces and grandnephews; cousins and goddaughters, Beverly Constant Bromley and Felita Lewis Eaton.

 Vivian Irene Tate Lane, affectionately known as “Renee,” with her soft-spoken demeanor, was loved by family, friends, and all who met her.  She was bigger than life, and who, as the poet Bessie Anderson Stanley wrote, “. . . always looked for the best in others and [gave] the best [she] had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.”

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