William R. Lang died peacefully at home on February 2, 2026, at age 88, after a long illness.
Bill, as he was known to family and friends, was born in Colchester, Vt., in April 1937 to John Kenneth Lang and Lida May (Wiley) Lang. Raised on the Lang Family Farm, a 600-acre dairy farm in Essex Center, Bill attended Essex Junction public schools with his seven siblings and graduated from Essex Junction High School in 1957. He married his high school sweetheart, Gail Grinnell Stone, in 1957, and they settled in Essex Junction with their young family.
Showing an early interest in construction and excavating, Bill began his career in the late 1950s with Morison Knudsen, an engineering firm, building Interstate 89 in northern Vermont, running heavy equipment for the project. He joined the new IBM manufacturing plant in Essex Junction in 1961 and rose to the level of department manager for semiconductor production, before leaving in 1981.
During his 20 years at IBM, Bill pursued his love of construction and started building houses for friends on the weekends, including log homes and Viceroy Homes in the Burlington area. Bill started Lang Construction in 1981 and focused his business on excavating and construction. In 1991 he transitioned the business to G&W Inc. to focus primarily on trucking, working extensively with Pike Industries in northern Vermont. He continued to operate the business until 2024.
When not running the company, Bill enjoyed caring for the home he and Gail designed and built in South Burlington in 1977. The large property always needed yard work and upkeep, which Bill enjoyed doing until his recent illness made it too difficult to continue.
Bill is survived by his wife of 68 years, Gail (Stone) Lang; and his sisters Marion (Lang) Bollock, Alice (Lang) Riehl and Katherine (“Tina” Lang) Pollack. He is predeceased by his sisters Margaret Lang and Ruth Rawls and brothers, John Lang and Ralph Lang. He is also survived by his sons, Jeffrey Lang and his wife, Monica Burnham-Lang; and Bradley Lang and his daughter, Katherine Lang Granger, and her husband, Jeffrey Granger. Bill and Gail have nine grandchildren: Sean, Christopher, Michael and Craig Lang; Brooke and Ryan Lang; Nicole Burnham; and Alexander and Caroline Granger. They have seven great-grandchildren: Jeremy, Kyle and Emily Lang; Carter and Autumn Lang; and Quinn and Henry Lang.
A memorial service will be held on April 11, 2026, 11 a.m., at First Congregational Church, 39 Main St., Essex Junction, VT, followed by a celebration of life from 12:30 to 4 p.m., at the Garden Barn at the Lang Farm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or Hope Lodge in Burlington, Vt.
The Lang family wishes to express their deep gratitude for the support and care received during Bill’s illness from Dr. Stephen Ades, the University of Vermont Medical Center Hospice Service and Home Instead.