Obituary for Dethelder Lang
Dethelder “Dee” (Ingram), age 79, passed away on Sunday, August 30, 2020. Dee was the youngest daughter of the late John and Annie Mae Ingram and was born in Canton, Mississippi, and raised in Prichard, Alabama. Dee graduated from Central High School in 1959 and earned a postsecondary credential in Business Education from the Twentieth Century College in Mobile, Alabama. Dee lived a full life as a loving mother and homemaker to her four daughters and business partner to her former husband, Edwin Henley. Dee worked for more than 35 years in the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) Office of Curriculum Instruction. A resident of Whistler, Alabama, for the past 48 years, Dee was married to Reaf Lang, Jr. for 26 years, from 1994 until her death. She is survived by her husband, her children, Dr. Sandra Henley Dunn (Billie) , Dr. Kathy Henley Thompson, Dr. Pamela Henley Thompson, Diann Henley Greer (Duane), and Raphael Tilley (Waikikita), thirteen grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and nieces, Sherrie McCormick (Napoleon) and Detriece Spencer Turner (Jeffrey), and nephew, Charles Roshay Spencer.
Dee Lang had a servant’s heart and devoted herself to community service, volunteerism, and fundraising. She became a Daughter of Elks in 1976 at Shell Bayou Temple #337 and received Past State President (PSP) honors in 1979. In 1991, she became a charter member of the Azalea City Temple #1373. In 1998, Dee received the highest degree in Elkdom, the Past Grand Daughter Rules (PGDR), and was voted Alabama Daughter Elk of the Year. She served as First Vice President of the City of Prichard Women’s Federation Club and was named its Woman of the Year in 1998. She was honored as Woman of the Year at the Civil Liberties Luncheon on May 3, 2004. Dee worked with the Veterans Affairs Department for more than 25 years in support of veterans’ health, served as State Directress of Veteran Affairs since the early 1980s, and was named Best State Directress of the Year on March 5, 2005, at the Veterans Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Dee served as Daughter Ruler of the Azalea City Temple and Vice Loyal Daughter Ruler for the Gulf Coast Council #87. She volunteered at the Veterans Clinic in Mobile, Alabama, and contributed countless hours of community service to numerous organizations, including the Veterans Administration and Alabama Voter Registration Drives. She also served as Associate Matron of the Marie V. Dixon Order of Eastern Star.
Family and friends were Dee’s passion and delight. She was a dedicated mother, first and foremost, and stressed the importance of education, service, and family to her children. She encouraged each of them as they pursued postsecondary and graduate degrees and took great pride in their achievement of professional success in nursing, higher education, and engineering. Lang passed these values on to her grandchildren, and they have also achieved education and career success.
Dee was a devoted member of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, sang in its Inspirational Gospel Chorus, and enjoyed serving as a Devotional Sunday School Leader. Singing was her passion, and sharing her voice was her ministry. She frequently led the congregation in song with her angelic voice, but is best known for her rendition of “The Name of Jesus.”
Dee was a talented artist, and her hands were rarely still. She expressed her many skills through sewing, cooking, and drawing/illustrating. As a teenager, Dee worked as a tailor/seamstress. She spent many hours lovingly sewing clothes for her young children, her proudest accomplishment being winter coats and matching hats for her daughters. Lang was known as an excellent cook and enjoyed sharing her dishes with family and friends.
Dee loved sharing her birthday, December 24, with Jesus. For as long as anyone can remember, she held a yearly birthday party with family and friends to celebrate “their” big day.
Dee Lang had a servant’s heart and devoted herself to community service, volunteerism, and fundraising. She became a Daughter of Elks in 1976 at Shell Bayou Temple #337 and received Past State President (PSP) honors in 1979. In 1991, she became a charter member of the Azalea City Temple #1373. In 1998, Dee received the highest degree in Elkdom, the Past Grand Daughter Rules (PGDR), and was voted Alabama Daughter Elk of the Year. She served as First Vice President of the City of Prichard Women’s Federation Club and was named its Woman of the Year in 1998. She was honored as Woman of the Year at the Civil Liberties Luncheon on May 3, 2004. Dee worked with the Veterans Affairs Department for more than 25 years in support of veterans’ health, served as State Directress of Veteran Affairs since the early 1980s, and was named Best State Directress of the Year on March 5, 2005, at the Veterans Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Dee served as Daughter Ruler of the Azalea City Temple and Vice Loyal Daughter Ruler for the Gulf Coast Council #87. She volunteered at the Veterans Clinic in Mobile, Alabama, and contributed countless hours of community service to numerous organizations, including the Veterans Administration and Alabama Voter Registration Drives. She also served as Associate Matron of the Marie V. Dixon Order of Eastern Star.
Family and friends were Dee’s passion and delight. She was a dedicated mother, first and foremost, and stressed the importance of education, service, and family to her children. She encouraged each of them as they pursued postsecondary and graduate degrees and took great pride in their achievement of professional success in nursing, higher education, and engineering. Lang passed these values on to her grandchildren, and they have also achieved education and career success.
Dee was a devoted member of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, sang in its Inspirational Gospel Chorus, and enjoyed serving as a Devotional Sunday School Leader. Singing was her passion, and sharing her voice was her ministry. She frequently led the congregation in song with her angelic voice, but is best known for her rendition of “The Name of Jesus.”
Dee was a talented artist, and her hands were rarely still. She expressed her many skills through sewing, cooking, and drawing/illustrating. As a teenager, Dee worked as a tailor/seamstress. She spent many hours lovingly sewing clothes for her young children, her proudest accomplishment being winter coats and matching hats for her daughters. Lang was known as an excellent cook and enjoyed sharing her dishes with family and friends.
Dee loved sharing her birthday, December 24, with Jesus. For as long as anyone can remember, she held a yearly birthday party with family and friends to celebrate “their” big day.