James Austin Shane, MD

James Austin Shane, Jr. ("Jim") was born September 9, 1936 in Lincoln, Nebraska to James and Virginia Shane. Jim grew up in Lincoln with his younger brother John until his senior year, when the Shanes moved to Omaha, Nebraska. Jim attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for his undergraduate degree and then was accepted to the University of Nebraska at Omaha Medical School. As fate (and God) would have it, Jim had met and been dating a gal in Omaha - Bobbi Jean - who had a cousin coming to town to visit and wanted Jim to line up a friend to accompany her cousin on a double date. Jim lined up "Bob" and the four headed out to dinner - the cousin was Janet Elizabeth Brisbane from Long Beach, CA. At the end of the evening, Jim decided he was dating the wrong cousin. However, it was a year or so later at a Christmas Eve service (and after Jim and Bobbi parted ways) that Jim spotted Janet from Long Beach who was once again visiting her relatives - he did not hesitate to reintroduce himself to her and offered her a ride home after church. Shortly after, Jim drove Janet to Illinois for a Christian Conference and by the time they arrived, he was in love and told her they would be married. Which they were on August 30, 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska. During the last couple of years of medical school, Jim and Janet were blessed with two daughters, Cindy and Lisa. Jim graduated medical school in 1962 and secured an internship in San Bernardino, CA where their third daughter Janelle was born. In 1964, the couple relocated to Lakewood, CO where Jim went to work for the Public Health Service located at the Federal Center. Shortly after arriving in Denver, the couple had the fourth (and final!) child and SON, Jeff. A year or two later, Jim left the Public Health Service and started his own family medical practice - Lakewood Family Medical Clinic - which flourished and grew over the next 35 years. During those years, he brought on 5 partners who became and remain lifelong friends - David Miller, Bob Williams, Cal Wilson, Duane Claussen and Kirk Quackenbush. Lakewood Family Medical Clinic served the Lakewood and West side of Denver for 35 years and Jim had the privilege of delivering the babies of some of the babies he delivered early in his practice. His joy and passion in life was providing quality medical care to hundreds who remained loyal to him and LFMC for many of the 35 years. Along the way, Jim felt a calling to serve the underprivileged and partnered with (at the time) the small but mighty Denver Rescue Mission in the late 1960s and started what has now grown into a full service medical clinic and continues to this day. He remembers in the early years of treating (mostly men) in a small broom closet the clinic set up for him (and later his partners rotated in at DRM as well to support the mission) where he brought his own supplies and medicine to treat the homeless. This also formed the basis for LFMC's mission to have each of the doctor's take their family over a summer to a third world or remote location to either relieve a missionary doctor or to provide medical care in areas where there was none. The partners left behind would cover and care for the traveling doctor's patients so there were no interruptions. The Shane's had the privilege of traveling to the remote mountains of Japan, a missionary compound outside of Aman, Jordan and then Jim went on to take several solo mission trips over the years to Bangladesh (3x), Ghana, and Peru. Each trip Jim brought his medical skills, his heart for serving others and his love for Jesus with him and shared all as much and as often as he could. In 1998, Jim and Janet were given the opportunity to relocate full time to Peoria, AZ (they had been vacationing there for many years during the LFMC days) where Jim went to work for the famed Mayo Clinic - which had decided to open several satellite family practice clinics - one that was conveniently located very near their condo in Peoria. Jim was in "medical practice heaven" at Mayo with their up to date equipment and technology and resources - and he was immediately popular with the snow birds in the area and he and Janet embraced life in the desert. What many may not know - Jim had broken his back when he was around 16 or 17 and back then they treated such fractures with a body cast and hospitalization while the bones healed. He was hospitalized at none other than Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and it was there, while laying in a body cast and watching the doctor's and nurses come and go, that his desire to become a doctor was born. So for him to finish out his medical career at Mayo some 50 years later was without a doubt another divinely directed outcome. Jim and Janet spent their retired years in more or less fairly good health, were able to travel and visit their 4 kids and 9 grandkids who were some what spread out over the country for the next several years. They were also able to enjoy cruises, and some international travel and just being together. As many know Jim adored Janet and felt that he was the luckiest man in the world for their 60 years of marriage. In February of 2018, following Janet's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Jim and Janet relocated back to Colorado to live with Cindy and her husband Paul and to be near Lisa and her husband Mike and the Bruder and Little grandkids. Jim was at Janet's side 24-7 during the 9 months she fought courageously against the cancer and after she passed in November of 2018 - Jim was heartbroken. Jim continued to visit with friends and drive to his beloved swimming pool and other activities until he just began to slow down. Jim was a blessing to his family - the out of town kids, Janelle and Jeff, would visit as often as they could and Cindy and Lisa tag teamed Jim to make sure he was happy and healthy and attended to. Jim passed on July 28, 2021 at Littleton Adventist holding the hands of Janelle and Lisa who had remained with him from the time he began to fade away. His family is confident he is in the arms of Jesus and Janet and strolling the golden streets - something he was looking forward to since Janet passed 3 years earlier. He is survived by his children, sons and daughter in law and grandkids: Cindy and Paul Bruder and Riley and Griffin; Lisa and Mike Dillon and Britt, Nathan and Bethany; Janelle and Eric Ipson and Kara and Brody and Jeff and Susan Shane and David and Elizabeth.

The celebration of life will be held on Saturday August 28th at 9:30a at Olinger/Crown Hill located at 7777 W. 29th Avenue, Wheatridge, CO 80033 with a reception to follow.