Jerald E. “Jer” Lang, 79, passed away tragically on Monday,
April 5, 2021 near his home in the Town of Marshfield.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 am on
Sunday, April 11, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Marshfield, with Rev.
Keith Kitzhaber and Deacon Ray Draeger officiating. The service will be live
streamed at www.facebook.com/rembsfuneralhomes. Burial will be in Corpus
Christi Cemetery, Bakerville and his grandchildren will serve as honorary and
active pallbearers. Military rites will be conducted by the American Legion
Post 54 of Marshfield. The visitation will be from 6:30 pm until 9:00 pm on
Saturday and from 9:30 am until service time on Sunday, all at Sacred Heart
Catholic Church. Rembs Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Jerald was born on January 31, 1942 in Marshfield, to John
C. and Regina (Pfahning) Lang. He was a 1960 graduate of Columbus High School.
He was a veteran of the United States Army serving from March 12, 1962 until
his honorable discharge on March 11, 1965. He married Diane H. Fisher on July
22, 1967 at St. John’s Catholic Church, Marshfield. She died on September 12,
1998. Later, he married Debara D. Wrensch on September 20, 2003.
Jer’s list of involvement in the community along with
examples of his dedication to family and friends could take up a full page of
this paper. He began his working career in Marshfield at Schalow’s Nursery
around 1970 and was employed there until 1982. Jer took a leap of faith in 1982
with a little help from his brother Jim and started his own landscape company,
Central Wisconsin Landscaping and Yard Service which he owned and operated for
24 years. Of course, owning a business wasn’t enough for Jer as he also
maintained a small family-style guernsey farm of 40+ heifer cattle just to the
south of the Marshfield city limits. Before and after his landscape work Jer
would tend to his own yard and his cattle. Jer’s work-ethic was un-repeatable.
Taking care of cattle, looking out at his pasture full of guernseys, was his
true passion, his first love in life. He was involved in the Central Wisconsin
State Fair serving on the Fair Board and Junior Fair Board for many years. He
traveled around the state to many other fairs as well, giving countless hours
to the program and its youth, even chaperoning at State Fair for the last 50
years. Over these 50 years, Jerry accumulated countless awards from 4-H,
showing his guernsey cattle, and honoring his volunteerism. Anyone who knows
“The Jer” knows how he adored his guernsey cattle. Work, cattle, and 4-H were
still not enough as Jer was also involved in the development of the Marshfield
Youth Wrestling Program in the mid-1980s along-side his nephew Pat Wingert and
family friend Paul Needham. Wrestling in Marshfield would not quite be the same
without Jer’s involvement during those years. There will be an uncomfortable
silence in the wrestling stands for years to come as we won’t hear his voice
cheering on those Marshfield wrestlers. Upon retirement from landscaping in
2006, Jer began his involvement with St. Vincent de Paul as a volunteer where he
did everything from moving furniture, to selling brats, to serving as President
of the board. He was instrumental in building the Transitional Shelter. The
community got out their wallets when Jer came walking up because they knew he
was asking for donations for one of his many causes. Countless volunteer hours
between 4-H leadership, grooming cattle for his children and for many great
nieces and nephews, St. Vincent’s, Corpus Christie Catholic Church events, and
wrestling supporter earned him a well-deserved Jefferson Award in November,
2019 from WAOW News Channel 9. He rarely missed an event involving his
grandchildren competing in everything from wrestling, cross-country, soccer,
dance, gymnastics, basketball, and the drama performances at MHS and at 4-H.
Stories will be told for years to come about everything. Words can’t be
expressed to how much this amazing husband, father, grandfather, and friend
will be missed. “Donnie…you can’t flip that steak yet.” We love you!
He is survived by his wife, Debbie, three sons and a
daughter, David (Marion) Lang, Daniel (Anne) Lang, Dawn (James) Albanito, all
of Marshfield, and Donald (Nikki) Lang of Chili and 11 grandchildren, Joshua
(Rachel Roehl – fiance), Shelby Lang, Melanie, Brandon and Bryce Lang, Adam,
Austin and Nathan Albanito and Tessah, Taiya and Tevyn Lang. He is also
survived by step children, Torey (Luann) Wernberg of Wausau and Stacy Wernberg
of Marshfield and step grandchildren, Evan and Aaron Wernberg. He is further
survived by brothers and sisters, James Lang, Jerome (Shirley) Lang, Janice
(Richard) Hansen, Judy (Dale) Garfield and Jeanne (Darrell) Paasch, all of
Marshfield.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife,
Diane, an infant sister, Jacinta “Cindy”, a sister, Joanne Wingert Rifelman, a
brother, John C. “Jack” Lang and a sister-in-law, Jeanette Lang.
Memorials may be designated in Jerry’s name to Corpus
Christi Catholic Church for maintenance and other building items.