Dr. HOWARD LANE LOVETT,
JR., died at the age of 34, on March 29, 2021, after a long battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He was preceded in death by his father, Howard Lane Lovett, his grandfather, Dr. James Mark Robinette, and grandparents, Betty and Herman Lovett of Crossett, Arkansas.
Lane was born on October 1, 1986, in Little Rock, Arkansas. During the first six months of his life, he underwent two heart surgeries. He was a fighter from day one and his life motto was to “never give up.” He was one of the first babies in Arkansas to have an open-heart surgery involving a new arterial switch. This led to his involvement with and long-time support of the American Heart Association. He was honored to be a member of the Central Arkansas Heart Ball Executive Committee and shared his story as a featured speaker at the annual Heart Ball. Lane graduated from Catholic High School for Boys and from Rhodes College, Memphis, Tenn., in 2009 with a B.S. in biochemistry. At Rhodes, he was a proud member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was accepted to medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) his senior year of college. Despite being ill and undergoing chemotherapy treatment, he graduated medical school and later completed his residency in internal medicine at UAMS in December of 2017.
Dr. Lovett worked as an assistant professor of medicine at the College of Internal Medicine at UAMS and he loved his job. He especially enjoyed teaching undergraduate students, interns, and residents. He prepared lessons for them and used his unique experience and perspectives as a patient to help them and himself become a better physician and teacher. Possessing an empathetic bedside manner well beyond his years, Lane was a proud recipient of the Green Pig Award recognizing outstanding faculty service and patient care. When he was not working as a hospitalist at UAMS, he was managing the family business, Airmasters. He loved this responsibility because it reminded him of his father. He cherished his family, which was the most important thing in his life. He met his wife Leigh Martin HIckman in 2011 and they were married in March of 2012. His wife was his true love and soulmate and he adored her and his daughter, Mary Lane. He was often seen carrying Mary with him wherever he went. Lane was supportive and involved in the lives of his mother, Angela, and his sisters, Christian and Grace. He made a point to set a positive example for them and keep the family close after the death of his father.
Lane loved to cook, travel, collect art, and he was an obvious foodie. He often traveled to New Orleans with Leigh just to eat at their favorite restaurants. He was an ardent Deadhead and loved Damgoode pizza, Coca Cola, and fast cars. Lane loved the early mornings and to constantly learn new things. He was always listening to podcasts or reading and kept up to date on a variety of topics. His joy and enthusiasm for living a full and active life was contagious and conversations with him were always interesting.
Lane is survived by his loving family, including his wife, Leigh Lovett, daughter, Mary Lane Lovett, sisters, Christian Lovett and Grace Lovett, his mother, Dr. Angela Lovett, and grandmother, Betty Jo Robinette. He is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Lauryl and Tim Hynes of Fayetteville, Ark., Georgia Robinette and G. Scott Murphy of Little Rock, Ark., Elaine and Barney Roger of Fayetteville, Ark., James Mark Robinette, Jr. of Little Rock, Ark., Sherry Meers of Crossett, Ark., Linda Hairston of Monroe, La., and Bubba and Connie Lovett of Hot Springs, Ark. He also has cousins, which include, Houston and Grant Hynes, J. Bennett Murphy, Luke Robinette, Molly and Brent Higgins, Amy Hairston, and Mackenzie and Clay Lovett.
Lane will be missed. He dedicated his life to making the world a better place through his commitment to his patients, his family, and his friends. He used his intellectual curiosity and empathy to provide both care and comfort to those he served. Although he was born with a medical condition with an uncertain prognosis and later fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for many years as a young man, he never faltered in facing the challenges before him with grace and courage. He was successful through his persistence and determination in healing those who were sick, being a leader for his family, and creating a loving family life with his wife and daughter. His life and legacy will continue to inspire all of us, who will feel his absence deeply. We can all learn from his life example of not giving in or giving up in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.
The family will receive friends from 4 until 6 p.m., Thursday, at Ruebel Funeral Home, (501) 6660123. A private funeral service will be held on Friday, April 2, 2021, at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church with Dr. Jeffrey Hampton officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UAMS in support of medical students in need of financial assistance. Sign the online condolence book at: RuebelFuneralHome.com