Thomas James Kane, 89

Thomas James Kane, 89, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, passed away Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. He was born Nov. 23, 1935, in Rapid City, S.D., the son of Raymond James and Laura (Laprath) Kane. In 1938, Tom’s family moved to Clark Fork, Idaho, and then to Coeur d’Alene in 1944.  

Tom spent the majority of his childhood growing up in the community that he loved, Coeur d’Alene. He attended St. Thomas Catholic Elementary and then IHM Catholic Academy, where he graduated in 1954. After high school, Tom was accepted to the University of Notre Dame, where he studied and played football. Two years later, he transferred to the University of Montana, where he was able to play one more year of football before suffering career-ending injuries. Tom graduated from the U of M in 1959 with a degree in speech.

It wasn’t too long after returning to Coeur d’Alene that Tom married his sweetheart, Mary Lou Hanson, in 1960. They had three boys, Jim, John and Justin. Countless memories were made from swimming at Sanders Beach, camping at Twin and Spirit lakes, hunting and fishing trips, snowmobiling and chasing three boys who played multiple sports each.  

Tom started his teaching/coaching career at IHM, but he was not there long. Tom was offered the head football coach position at Lakeland High School in 1962, which he gladly accepted and continued his teaching/coaching career until 1973. After leaving his role as an educator, Tom started a new career in real estate. He was a partner with his mother, Laura, at Derby/Kane Realty, which later became Kane Realty.  

Tom’s passion was teaching and coaching, where his intensity and attention to detail got the most out of people. He was a big, strong man with a big, strong voice. He always brought tremendous passion and creativity, whether it be in the classroom or on the field. Most generally, he would earn one’s respect but always demanded one’s attention. Behind the toughness was a man who had a big heart filled with kindness, empathy and understanding. He deeply cared about his students and athletes. He cherished those relationships until his passing. 

Tom was a powerful public speaker; he had a gift for grabbing people's attention with thought-provoking words. He was not afraid to implement creative techniques while delivering his message in a way that kept his audience engaged. He was an excellent communicator and loved to motivate and inspire others through speech or written words, especially poetry. Most of his poems — and there were hundreds of them — were easy to understand, but powerful. They were typically descriptive of a relationship or event and often told a story of a family outing. 

Over the last 27 years of his life, Tom was dedicated to a second family he found through Alcoholics Anonymous, where he developed many deep and meaningful relationships. He was dedicated to helping as many people as he could through his experiences.    

Tom loved his family and our community very much. He worked with many organizations and groups over the years to preserve public access to our lakes, including preventing the development of Tubbs Hill and countless other projects that helped preserve North Idaho values. He always spoke of trying to give back and help others when possible. He said recently, “You can’t keep what you can’t give.” Though he has now found peace in the presence of our Lord, he will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Tom is survived by son Jim (Tammy) of Post Falls, Idaho; daughter-in-law Kim Coles of Green Acres, Wash.; son Justin (Angie) of Dalton Gardens, Idaho; younger sister Colleen (Bob) of Tempe, Ariz.; grandsons: Matt (Brooke) of Hayden, Idaho; J (Carmen) of Pony, Mont.; Nate (Paige) of Trout Creek, Mont.; Brennen (Krista) of Post Falls, Idaho; granddaughters: Megan (Lindsay) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Lina (Skyler) of Cusick, Wash.; Whitney (Grant) of Post Falls, Idaho; Halle of Tampa, Fla.; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents; wife Mary Lou; sister Carol; brothers Tim, Terry and Mike; great-grandson Sander and beloved son John.

A celebration of life will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at Lake City Center (1916 N. Lakewood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815). Please join the family following the service for food and sharing of memories.

Please visit Tom’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.

    Kane