Colorful attire is not only welcomed but encouraged at an upcoming event honoring Barrington teenager Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, who were killed in the D.C. plane crash last month.
The “celebration of life” is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, according to the obituaries for mother and son. Doors open at 1 p.m.
“Attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably and colorfully, as Christine loved bright colors and Spencer frequently and vocally expressed his disdain for formal dress,” the obituaries read.
Spencer, 16, a figure skater, and Christine were traveling home from a U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas, when American Eagle Flight No. 5342 and a military helicopter collided outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29. All 64 people on the plane, and the three on the U.S. Army Black Hawk were killed. The crash remains under federal investigation.
On Tuesday, a Chicago law firm filed a $250 million legal claim against the federal government on behalf of the family of a Connecticut man who was killed in the crash, according to news reports.
Ken Block, a neighbor of the Lane family acting as their spokesperson, said the family was focused on planning Sunday’s event. He had not discussed the potential for legal action with the family, Block said in an interview Wednesday.
The tragedy rocked the local community, including Barrington Public Schools, where Spencer attended until 2023, and the Skating Club of Boston, to which Spencer belonged. Another teenage skater, Jinna Han, a skating club member who lived in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and her mother Jin Han, were also killed in the crash, along with coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.
Christine and Spencer are survived by husband and father, Doug, and son and brother, Milo. Both Spencer and Milo were adopted from South Korea, and embraced Korean culture in their lives, including as participants in the Korean Adoptee Mentoring Program at Brown University, according to their obituaries.
Spencer was known for his magnetic energy, a prolific social media presence and a gifted athlete who eschewed traditional sports for parkour, indoor rock climbing, and aerial silk acrobatics, according to his obituary. Inspired by the 2022 Winter Olympics, he began honing his craft and passion for figure skating at the ice skating rink in downtown Providence, eventually trading in snow pants and rental skates for private lessons in Warwick, and later, Boston with The Skating Club. He was invited to attend the prestigious U.S. Figure Skating training camp in Kansas based on his top performances, including a gold medal at the 2025 Eastern Sectionals.
“He spent his final week doing what he loved, surrounded by close friends and coaches from his beloved U.S. Figure Skating and Skating Club of Boston communities,” his obituary reads.
Christine Lane was with her son at the skating camp for that final week.
The 49-year-old Long Island native was known for her creative talents, both personal and professional: her early career as a graphic designer in Boston included award-winning work on multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns for Dunkin’ Donuts and John Hancock, according to her obituary. In her free time, Christine loved photography, quilting, knitting, and home decorating.
An animal lover, Christine volunteered with Rhode Home Rescue, a Warwick animal rescue nonprofit, while treasuring her own “beloved” pets: dogs Harley and Charlee, and hedgehog Bobbin.
She earned her real estate license in late 2024, and had just begun work as a sales agent with Residential Properties in Barrington in January.
The Lane family has asked people to subscribe to an email newsletter in lieu of flowers or donations. The website, douglane.com, features an image of the foursome making funny faces, with the caption “Beautiful Chaos.”
“In the immediate aftermath of the crash, a posed photo of my family dressed in blue seemed to be everywhere,” Doug Lane wrote below the photo. “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.”
The website will serve as a place for family and friends to share photos and memories, and to plan a way to permanently honor the legacy of Spencer and Christine, according to the obituaries.
This article was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
