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William “Bud” Clark Lang passed away at Hope Health Hospice in Providence on March 12.

Bud was born March 24th, 1929 in Glen Ridge, NJ, the son of William Christian Lang and Juliet Cornell Clark, and brother of Juliet Cornell Lang Mixon and Briscoe Baldwin Lang. He was a graduate of Glen Ridge High School and Dartmouth College, class of 1951. He joined the United States Marine Corps after college in 1951, and served in Korea through 1953.

He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Frances Strong Bogardus Lang, whom he married on April 7th, 1956. He is predeceased by his son, Andrew, and leaves behind  daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Ann (Betty Ann), of Coventry, RI, and their children, James of West Warwick, and Katherine, of Warwick; daughter, Sallie, and her wife, Erika, with their daughter: Helen YuYu, all of Oakland, CA; and son, John (Jack), his wife, Jennifer, with their children, John, Morgan Frances, and Jordan, all of Pembroke, MA, as well as William Jr. and Daniel, both deceased in infancy.

Bud was a charming and charismatic man, a great storyteller, full of good humor and bad puns. At 6’2” tall and strong as an ox, he was a gentle giant. He spent his childhood summers frolicking with his siblings and many cousins at the family beach house on Long Island Sound. It was there he developed his deep love of the sea, which inspired him to spend a few years after the Marine Corps traveling the world working on oil tankers.

He was introduced to Bunny by his college roommate and they were inseparable ever-after, sharing love for their family, dogs, sports, cocktail hour, and arguing over whose fault it was when Bud backed the car into something. He and Bunny raised their family initially in New Jersey, where he was a commercial loan officer for National Newark and Essex Bank, and later in Rhode Island, where he worked for Woonsocket Trust.

In 1961, he and Bunny bought a cottage on the coast of Maine, and for him (and the rest of the family), it was Heaven-on-Earth. The family spent summers there from then on. There was an ever-changing fleet of small boats, with much fishing, sailing, and clamming, and the occasional sinking and bloody injury. One his favorite things to do was take other people out on his boat, and show them the seals and osprey nests.

He was a fantastic hands-on father and grandfather; he was active and fun, but also believed in discipline, effort, and competence. He loved football, beer, some corn-on-the-cob with his butter, and all the family dogs, but particularly Duchess. He was especially devoted to his grandchildren, James and Kate, who tragically lost their father to cancer so young. He thought children, boys and girls, should learn the following skills, in no particular order: cooking, shooting, lawn mowing, how to take a 3-minute shower, ironing, boat handling, swimming, sewing, fishing, vacuuming, sailing, and a team sport of their choice. He was genial, loved a good dirty joke, and was also particular about certain things. God help you if you didn’t rinse the kitchen sponge properly or refill the ice trays.

He was a very friendly guy, interested in all people. He was kind and respectful to everyone he met. He knew the names of all the tellers at his local bank, the workers at his local CVS, the grocery store, and wherever he shopped. He was very thoughtful and considerate, always more concerned about others than himself. He always assumed the best of people, but he thought Brady was not like the old Brady and should retire (he’s wrong about that), and unfortunately won’t be around to scoff at his march to another Super Bowl.

He was profoundly devoted to Bunny, caring for her tirelessly through her years of blindness and Alzheimer’s, snapping only occasionally (though she did dish it right back). He was a truly generous and selfless person, and he lived his life with gusto.

A memorial will be held Saturday, March 19, at the East Greenwich United Methodist Church at 11:00 AM. The church will live stream the service on its Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Tomorrow Fund, or the charity of your choice.

You can leave an online condolence with the funeral home HERE.

Top photo by Aaron Burden, courtesy of Unsplash.