Douglas Robert Lotane

Douglas Robert Lotane, 72, of York, Maine, died in Grenoble, France on March 21, 2025, from injuries sustained while skiing in the French Alps. He was comforted by family and close friends at the time of his passing.
Doug was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1971, before moving with his family to Chatham. He lived in Chatham for several years and returned often throughout his life.
   Doug moved to Maine after his 1990 graduation from Suffolk University Law School. He had a long and varied legal career with expertise in workers’ compensation and insurance defense and as a mediator and arbitrator in civil litigation matters. Previously an attorney for the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board, at his death he was the Chair of the Maine Motor Vehicle Franchise Board.
Prior to attending college, Doug served in the U.S. Army and was a graduate of the military’s renowned Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. A German speaker since high school, he subsequently served in Germany as an intelligence analyst and German linguist and lived there for two years after his military career.
While Doug took pride in his work, he enjoyed life outside the office. Gregarious by nature, he was always interested in learning about other people and their lives. He was an avid Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox and Bruins, and closely followed Premier League Soccer and the University of Massachusetts hockey team, having graduated from UMass in 1984. He was a passionate music and concert fan, of many genres but notably classical and classic rock.
In addition to being a skier and a member of the Seacoast Ski Club, Doug was an enthusiastic cyclist and a proud member of the Maine Coast Cycling Club. He also participated in the Pan-Mass Challenge and the Dempsey Center Challenge. Doug also played, coached and refereed ice hockey for many years in Germany and the U.S. He loved jumping into any sport or game that his family and friends were playing. He loved friendly competition, but he especially enjoyed being active and present with other people.
  Doug was predeceased by his parents, Douglas and Regina (Sheridan) Lotane, and his sister, Lisa (Lotane) Reagan. He is survived by his son, Anthony Lotane of Durham, New Hampshire; his partner, Deborah Mansor of York, Maine; his brothers, Robert Lotane and his wife Alissa, of Tallahassee, Florida, and Philip Lotane and his wife Nancy, of Concord, Massachusetts; and his nieces and nephew, Kelly Anne Reagan, Katie Lotane, and Charlie Lotane.
  A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, May 9, noon to 3 p.m., at Portsmouth (N.H.) Country Club. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations in Doug’s memory can be made to the Dempsey Center (www.dempseycenter.org) or the Pan-Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org).