Jane Spence Lang

Jane Marie Spence Lang passed away surrounded by family on September 17, 2023. She was 93. She is survived by her children, Meinrad Franklin “Buddy” Lang, Jr. (Denise); Annette Lang Raterman (David); Mary Lang Gregory (Randy); Karen Lang Baker (Bill); and Ellen Lang Sciambra (Jay); 16 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She is also survived my numerous nieces and nephews as well as many good friends, especially those at The Claiborne of Baton Rouge, who brought her much joy during these last years of her life.

She was born on April 13, 1930, in Hattiesburg, Miss., the youngest of seven children. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harry B. and Marguerite Spence; her siblings, Mary Agnes Maily; Harry B. Spence, William Spence, Annette Brown, Margaret Moran, and Charles Spence, as well as a great-granddaughter.

Jane grew up surrounded by a loving Catholic family in the small town of Ellisville, Miss., and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg with a bachelor’s degree. She worked for a time in New York City as a legal secretary before moving back home. She met the love of her life, Meinrad “Bud” Lang, in Laurel, Mississippi, where they married in 1954.

After moving to New Orleans, Jane stayed home raising her son and four daughters while Bud worked as a civil engineer. A devout Catholic, she was a parishioner for 40 years at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Metairie, La., where she served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and received the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, along with her husband, for service to the Catholic Church. She was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Louisiana Engineering Society. She volunteered for numerous church and school functions, and she regularly visited a Metairie nursing home to bring Communion to the residents. After Katrina, she was a parishioner at Most Blessed Sacrament in Baton Rouge for many years until moving to The Claiborne and attending Mass at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church with her children and daughter-in-law.

Though her loved ones will miss her presence greatly, we know she is reunited with her beloved “beautiful boy,” Bud Lang, who passed away on September 16, 2020. In the three years since his passing, she often proclaimed: “I am ready for God to take me.” Almost exactly three years later, her merciful God brought her home.

The family is grateful for the loving care provided by Baton Rouge General Hospital and the Hospice of Baton Rouge.   In lieu of flowers, Mass intentions are appreciated.