Wayne Lang

Wayne E. Lang, Bismarck, formerly of Dawson, made his journey to Heaven on November 17, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.  Funeral services will be held Tuesday, November 24, 10am at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck.  A private burial will take place at a later date.

Wayne was born November 14, 1948, the youngest child of Gotthielf and Emma (Kalmbach) Lang.  He was baptized and confirmed at St. John Evangelical Church in Tappen. Growing up in Tappen, he received the nickname “Slick” from all his buddies. That has followed him all his days. After graduation from high school in Tappen in 1966, Wayne attended business school in Rapid City, SD before returning home to Tappen. 

Wayne married Kathy Barnick on May 1, 1971 and they settled in Dawson, North Dakota, where they raised 3 children:  Michelle, Jamie, and Chad.  Wayne spent 24 years working for Wentz Elevator and then went to work for Melvin Lang Construction until health issues precluded further employment.  Other positions Wayne held through the years were delivering for the Bismarck Tribune, serving on the Dawson Cemetery Board, and the National Weather Service, in which he received an award for 40 years of service.

Wayne was always an active member in his community, coaching women’s Softball, Pee Wee and Babe Ruth Baseball, as well playing men’s softball. He also was a part of the Don’s Bar pool league and the Napoleon Trapshoot League with his brother Larry, nephews Steve & David, and longtime friends Rodney Schauer & Jerry Kleppe.  Wayne was also an avid hunter, fisherman, and trapper, and enjoyed gardening and sharing his harvest with his friends and neighbors. He taught his children and grandchildren all of his tips and tricks.

There wasn’t anyone more willing to lend a hand than Wayne.  His home was always an open and welcoming place where everyone was treated as family. You were usually coaxed to stay for a meal prepared by the cook himself, whose smile lit up a room. Whether it was a German dish or a wild game, it was followed by one of his famous cookies or some kind of dessert. We all know how he had a sweet tooth.

Nothing made Wayne happier than his family.  He loved his children and grandchildren, and you would find them at his home often, especially in the summer and during hunting season.  Many summers were spent at Grandpa’s house, fishing, gardening, cooking, baking, and cruising around the backroads.

Wayne is survived by his children, Michelle, Jamie, Chad and Katie Lang, all of Bismarck; 8 grandchildren: Sheldon Bauer, Sierra, Madison, and Bailey Lang, Jared and Chase Wintermeyer, Nash Johnson, and Wyatt Lang; and 3 great-grandchildren, Kaevon, Bryson, and Natalia Lang; Brothers Dennis Lang of Texas, Larry and Diana Lang of Bismarck, one brother-in-law, Delbert Iszler; several nieces and nephews and special nephew Jason Iszler of Dawson, Former wife and lifelong friend Kathy Barnick, and her brothers Frank, Marvin, Bill, Ervin, Larry, and her sisters Elsie and Janice.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Leonard and his wife Evelyn, Dale, and Arthur; sisters, Beverly Rudolph and her husband Edward, and Loretta Iszler; Sister in-law Shirley Lang; Nephews Rodney Rudolph and Steven Lang, Great nephew Troy Rudolph, and daughter in-law Crissy Lang.