Obituary: John Lang, 1935-2024 

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• Courtesy
• John Lang

John Henry Lang, 88, of Essex, Vt., passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 14, 2024, at Vitas Hospice in Lake Wales, Fla., surrounded by love and lilting Irish melodies.

John was born September 21, 1935, on the family farm in Essex, Vt. He was the fifth child of nine and the first son of John Kenneth and Lida May (Wiley) Lang. He spent his childhood working on the farm and getting into hijinks with his siblings. John was a 1954 graduate of Essex Junction High School, where he played basketball and baseball. But the real highlight of his high school years was when he took the new girl in town, Nancy Repa, on a date to celebrate her 15th birthday. That first date was the beginning of a 70-year journey through life together.

John went on to attend Vermont School of Agriculture (Vermont Technical College).

Because he went home every weekend to work on the family farm, he didn’t fulfill the graduation requirement to work on the college farm and didn’t officially graduate. The president of VTC, Bob Clarke, waived the requirement in the early 1990s and presented John with his diploma at a luncheon in his honor.

John and Nancy would go on to wed on his 22nd birthday in 1957, during John’s stint in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at Mitchel Air Base in Hempstead, N.Y., where he served as a tow target specialist and flight engineer on B26s. His time in the Air Force took him all over the country and continent as he flew everywhere from Cape Cod to California and Michigan to Georgia. He spent summers doing temporary duty in Traverse City, Mich., and winters in Panama. One of his most vivid memories was landing in Cuba as Batista fought Castro’s revolutionaries. His welcoming party consisted of Cuban soldiers with machine guns drawn. John planned on becoming a pilot and hoped to attend Office Candidate School, but he made the decision to return home with Nancy to take over the family farm.

John and Nancy welcomed their son, Jonathan, in 1959 and their daughter, Jennifer, in 1964. They shared a true partnership, based on mutual love and respect. John was the wind beneath Nancy’s wings, as his support allowed her to reach her own personal success. He admired strong women and couldn’t understand why the United States still hasn’t had a female president. Together, they were a united force and weathered hurricanes; a tornado and house fire; many surgeries, including brain surgeries; several cancers; and financial ups and downs and came out stronger on the other side.

John mentored several University of Vermont agriculture students on the farm and grew the dairy herd to 150+ head. In 1983, John retired from farming. With the farm in the inevitable path of the Circumferential Highway, John and Nancy created a master plan for the farm that included housing, hospitality, recreation and public services, such as banking, public safety and a post office, while creating a walkable development with green space. They donated land to the town for two parks and a bike path.

Like his namesake of folklore, John Henry never stopped working, as work was his solace and therapy. Last summer, he could still be found riding the tractor, mowing the fields on the farm. He even became an expert on hemp cultivation, as he was an integral part of the planting, trimming and harvesting of the hemp grown on the farm, as well as any other project on the farm property.

John and Nancy chose their homes based on their mutual love of water. They built a house in Sugarloaf Shores in their beloved Florida Keys and lived there for 27 years, until they moved to Solivita in Poinciana, Fla., for the last five years. Thankfully, they were able to return to Key West for a wonderful trip in December. For the past 30 years, summers were spent in their cottage on Coates Island on Malletts Bay.

John and Nancy traveled the world and visited six continents and many countries. They shared their love of travel with their children and grandchildren, taking them on biennial trips to Hawaii; the Caribbean, in particular Jamaica; and cruises through the Panama Canal and up the Amazon River. John had a keen eye and documented his travels with photographs. He also took pictures of his flower gardens and the sunrises and sunsets from his homes. His love of art extended to his extensive collection of paintings and art glass.

John is known for his love of children, his quick wit, his common-sense approach to life and his pride in being left-handed. He also developed a love of good red wine, from their travels to wine country, and was able to come up with an impromptu rhyming toast for any occasion.

The memory of John will be cherished by his wife, Nancy; his son, Jonathan; his daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Dan Bashaw; as well as his grandchildren, Sydney and Sophie Bashaw and Justin and Chloe Lang.

Contributions in John’s memory may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation or the charity of your choice.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on April 14, from 1 to 5 p.m., at the Garden Barn at Lang Farm, 45 Upper Main St., Essex, Vt.