Lane Alan Chapple

July 9, 1953April 5, 2020 (age 66)

Lane’s History
by his mother

Lane Alan Chapple was born in Ogden, Utah on July 9, 1953.  His parents were Joseph Lynn Chapple and Margaret Eva Wraspir Chapple.  His seven year old sister was Joy Lynnette and his three year old brother was Joel Lynn.  Three years later he had another brother, Evan Lewis.

Lane was very ill when he was born and was unable to hold down any food.  He had to be held day and night. Doctors could find nothing wrong but said we should accept the fact that he would never be normal.  He sat up at 1 year and learned to walk by 18 months.  At this point in time, his dad brought home some ground baby meat.  It stayed down and he began to eat.

Lane seemed to have brought with him much spiritual knowledge.  He seemed to know many things but it was difficult to teach him anything.  We feel he accepted his disabilities in the pre-existence, to test all those he came in contact with throughout his life.

Early on, most of his time was spent going from one thing to another.  He pushed whatever furniture he could.  He threw his blocks at the wall.  He loved to play in the water.  He was always filling the bathtub with water.  Later on he could not sleep if there was any noise so he would take a sleeping bag and sleep outside in the hut Evan built in the back yard.  Gradually his hearing got worse and he had to get hearing aids.

When he became school age we tried to place him in a grade school but that didn’t work.  There was no place for the handicapped.  Four mothers and I met and tried to decide what to do.  We knew we had to get this problem accepted publically because it needed to be met. We had already gone to the superintendent of Ogden City Schools and he answered “If you think you can get these handicapped children together and do anything with them, you are shooting at the moon.”

We worked hard to find financial support and places where we could have school.   In 1964 we learned that the Federal Government would finance half of the cost of a school if we could pay the other half. Both Ogden City and Weber County school Boards agreed to pay the other half.  At the ground breaking in 1968, the first shovel of dirt was turned by Lane.  He attended that school until he turned 22, which was the cutoff age for attendance there.

When Lane was eleven he was taken to the dentist several blocks from home.  I went to get him twice but they hadn’t even started on him.  I gave strict orders that I was to be called when they were finished.  As the rest of the family sat down to eat dinner, the sound of a siren was heard.  In my mind I saw Lane lying in the middle of the road.  I got in the car and drove down Iowa to 35th street and turned towards Harrison.  Lane was lying there, just as I had thought.  A man was directing traffic.

A car had stopped for Lane to cross Harrison.  Another car came along but didn’t stop by the other car.  The fender hit Lane’s hip sending him 40 feet through the air.  He landed on his head and shoulder.  Someone had gone to the house and told the rest of the family about the accident. . .   The ambulance took Lane to the hospital.  By the time we got there a doctor said that he was all right and could go home.  I picked him up off of the gurney but when I set him down he went right to the floor.  I refused to take him home.  X-rays revealed a broken pelvis.  He was put in a large room with a lot of other sick children.  The crying nearly drove him crazy.  The second night he tried to get out of bed and fell to the floor.  We insisted on bringing him home.  He had to stay in bed for a month and then used crutches.

After Lane was out of school, he went to the Special Needs employment center in West Ogden, to work.  He would ride the bus back and forth.  Then the center got in a large amount of telephone equipment, which they had to disassemble and separate into different metals.  Lane was not capable of doing this, so they put him in a back room to work on other equipment with several other fellows.  They kept punching and poking him until he would finally get on the bus and come home.  Finally he’d had enough.  We decided we would do contract cleaning of buildings. He also volunteered at the Ogden Temple washing very large kettles from the kitchen.  He did this for three years.

Lane and I walked together quite a lot.  One evening it was dark and Lane tripped on a bottom step that protruded onto the walk.  He fell on his hands.  This fall started his trial with arthritis.  He could no longer lift garbage cans or big kettles or mow or rake leaves.  We finally found an arthritis doctor in Brigham City who put Lane on Methotrexate and it has seemed to help a lot.  His feet are very disfigured.  His arms and hands look fine but hurt a lot.  We are grateful he can walk without pain.

Lane went to Avatar and then Turn  — organizations that help the handicapped.  Turn would drive him to work at the Salvation Army, the LDS Storehouse and to serve at St. Ann’s food kitchen.  They also took him to places for fun, like Cabela’s, Gossener Cheese in Logan, etc.  In Brigham City he went to the Linc day program.

Church Experience

The policy of the church at that time was that handicapped individuals have a sure reward in the Celestial Kingdom, so no ordinances needed to be done for them.  When Lane reached the age of eight he started asking why he couldn’t be baptized the same as the other children.  At our insistence he was baptized on May 5, 1962 and confirmed the next day.  When it came time for Lane to receive the Priesthood, we had the same problem.  We were asked, “If he gets it what will he do with it?”  We insisted anyway and he was able to take the fast offering envelopes around to neighbors as designated.  Other deacons helped him to pass the sacrament.  Other Priesthood ordinations were always postponed while I wrote letters to the church authorities asking “Why, if these individuals are sure candidates for the Celestial Kingdom, can’t they be part of it on earth?” In 1953 we decided that Lane should have a health blessing.  When we went to Patriarch Stromberg, he said Lane should have a Patriarchal Blessing instead.  How thankful we were that the blessing said, “You will have the privilege of gong to the House of the Lord”.  Lane was ordained an Elder by his father in September 1975.  He was endowed  in July 1978.   Over the years, Lane did many hundreds of baptisms for the dead in the temple.  As his arthritis got worse he couldn’t stand to have hands on his wrists so he did confirmations instead.

In 1982 we decided that time was running out for us to go on a mission.  Lane could not be called and the church would not call three together, so we decided to just load up the pickup and go anyway.  Evan had said that Cobourg, Canada had the nicest people anywhere.  We didn’t have passports but there was no problem at the border.   We found an empty house and set about cleaning it and making it into a home for us.  The first meeting we went to was a new building dedication.  Everyone was wonderfully friendly.  There was only one other Aaronic Priesthood holder and he became Lane’s best friend.  Lane, along with another brother cleared the church grounds of rocks—two large trailer loads.  He also helped clean the building.  It was a wonderful experience for us all.

As Margaret’s health declined, Lane moved to The Discovery Place, a group home in Brigham City, in 2013.  Crystal has been his “mother” while he lived there.   She loved and cared for him and always made sure his many needs were attended to.  She taught him he could make choices and one of his first choices was to grow a mustache.  He loved it.  She took him and his fellows shopping, and to movies, bowling and picnics.  He also went on a train trip to Seattle via California, to a prom, to plays, ballets and much more.

Lane had a great friend, Trevor Christenson, who frequently visited him and took him for rides or to get ice cream.   Trevor was able to get Lane to laugh which Lane loved.   He was also Lane’s home teacher and he took him to church in the Brigham City Ward.

We are grateful that Lane has valiantly finished his test and is back with his mom and dad.  Surely they are all enjoying getting to know each other again.  Thanks to all of you for the love and care you gave to Lane.

Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at lindquistmortuary.com

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