Spencer Seojin Lane, 16, of Barrington, R.I., passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 29, 2025, along with his mother, Christine Conrad Lane, and several dear friends and coaches from the figure skating community he loved so much. Spencer had the “it factor.” From the youngest age, he had an uncanny ability to connect with people every time he entered a room, and this magnetic force eventually drew in tens of thousands of people around the world through his prolific social media presence. He was also a remarkably gifted, if unconventional, athlete, whose meteoric rise through the world of competitive figure skating ended too soon.

Spencer is survived by his father, Doug Lane, and brother, Milo Lane, of Barrington, R.I.; grandparents Paul and Constance Lane of Fairhaven, Mass., and Wayne and Karen Conrad of Easton, Pa.; aunt Amanda Lane of Canton, Mass.; and aunt and uncle Kathleen and Jason Wolfanger of Manlius, N.Y. He was also the elder statesman of a rambunctious collection of cousins—all boys—that includes Leander and Felix Knasin of Canton, Mass., and Cody, Hunter, and Logan Wolfanger of Manlius, N.Y.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Spencer spent the first nine months of his life under the care of a proud and doting foster family who delighted in sharing stories of his early hijinks. In April of 2009, Spencer joined his forever family with Christine and Doug, which later expanded to include Milo in February of 2014. The family enthusiastically—if sometimes clumsily—embraced Korean culture as an ongoing part of their lives and were longtime participants in the Korean Adoptee Mentoring Program at Brown University.

Spencer exhibited extraordinary athletic abilities throughout his life, but he had little interest in traditional sports. From an early age, he terrified his parents and onlookers alike with daring—but somehow always successful—stunts at neighborhood playgrounds. As he grew, he found more structured outlets for his athleticism, including parkour, indoor rock climbing, and aerial silk acrobatics.

In late 2021, Spencer became captivated by figure skating in the lead-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics. His fascination quickly turned into unrelenting pleas for his parents to take him to the outdoor skating rink in Providence, R.I. On one such occasion, his skating time was cut short due to a scheduled performance. Disappointed but curious, he stayed to watch. While the show featured elite Olympic and U.S. champion skaters, Spencer was particularly drawn to a skater his age named Patrick Blackwell, whose grace and skill left a lasting impression. From that moment, snow pants and rental skates would no longer suffice.

In January of 2022, Spencer enrolled in a Providence-based chapter of U.S. Figure Skating’s entry-level Learn to Skate USA program. He advanced rapidly to private lessons with Warwick Figure Skaters in Warwick, R.I., and ultimately to full-time training at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Mass. Based on his performance in U.S. Figure Skating’s National Qualifying Series and his gold medal at 2025 Eastern Sectionals, Spencer was named to U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Team and invited to train at a high-performance development camp in Wichita, Kan. 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.

A celebration of life will be held for Spencer and Christine on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium (“The VETS”), One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903, at 2 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.

In lieu of flowers or monetary donations, the family asks that you subscribe to their email newsletter at douglane.com, where they will share remembrances and photos and discuss future plans to build a lasting legacy for Spencer and Christine.