Lane Roberts Pendleton

Lane Roberts Pendleton was born and raised in Thayne, Wyoming, part of Star Valley, in 1931 on his family’s dairy farm run by his parents Calvin and Espesa Pendleton. He had one brother, Leo Pendleton, and one sister, ReNee Pendleton Draney.

After attending Star Valley High School, Lane attended and graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. During his college years at Utah State, he served a mission to the Eastern United States where he was able to perform in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. He then attended and graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and attended Stanford University for further postgraduate study.

Lane married Yovonne Archibald from Dayton, Idaho in the LDS Salt Lake Temple on September 6, 1956. One of their favorite activities was attending weekly square dancing clubs, where they danced together for many years. They were married for 52 years when Yovonne passed away in November 2008.

Lane spent his career at Lockheed Missiles and Space. He began working for Lockheed in Burbank, California in 1956 and soon transferred to Lockheed in Sunnyvale, California where he worked for 36 years on missile defense systems.

As a hobby, Lane enjoyed flying with his private pilot’s license to destinations like Key West, Florida; Banff, Canda; and especially to visit his home in Star Valley, Wyoming.

He enjoyed traveling around the world as well and visited all seven continents during his lifetime, cruising to Antarctica for his final continent in January 2009. He sometimes traveled alone, sometimes with his wife, and in later years with his sister, ReNee Draney as they traveled together to visit many temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A Deseret News article tells the story of the 100th temple he visited for the dedication of the Afton, Wyoming temple.

He enjoyed genealogy work, sharing information with many extended family members and becoming an expert of genealogical research and technology for his ward, the Sunnyvale, California Ward and his stake, the Los Altos, California Stake. He served as the Stake Music Director for many decades. He served in various callings in his ward including High Priest Group Leader. He and his wife served a six-month mission in Nauvoo, Illinois in 2006, working in the temple there.

He was a life-long learner and an astronomy enthusiast. In his seventies and eighties, he continued taking every college course offered on astronomy at Foothill-De Anza College in Los Altos, California.

Lane enjoyed his last three years living with his daughter and son-in-law, Jannette and Keith Slama. Lane passed away peacefully in their home on the morning of May 31, 2021 at the age of 89.

Lane Pendleton is survived by his four children and their spouses: Jannette and Keith Slama, Judy and Scott Catherall, Mike Pendleton, and Jolene and Ian Houston. He also has 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.