Michael Andrew Bane: Unconventional
Success
J.
Donald Bane believes there are debts we owe our
forebears. His first wife, a professional pianist, died
in childbirth, but Michael Andrew Bane, the son born of
that tragedy, carried on traits of the mother he never
knew. Like her, he loved to play music, and was focused
and driven in everything he did.
Sometimes what he did went against the grain, like
dropping out of high school and working as a dishwasher
and chef before enrolling in college. The younger Mr.
Bane later married, worked in insurance, and last year
was promoted to assistant vice president for Marsh &
McLennan's casualty claims unit. Along the way, his
father and stepmother, Arline Peabody, celebrated each
step.
"It was just wonderful to see him blossom like that,"
his father said. "He had become my adult friend as well
as my child that I'm very proud of."
In August, at home in Yardley, Pa., he and his wife,
Tara, played host to a family reunion. On Sept. 9, the
couple sat on the porch with their dogs and had a
strangely prescient conversation. "He said, `Would you
stay in the house if I died?' and I said, `I don't think
I could,' " Mrs. Bane said. "But it feels good to be in
the house. Because it's not eerie. It's comforting."
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