E Russell Lang A positive, kind gentleman of unwavering integrity and bottomless love 1921-2022 E. Russell Lang was born on August 1, 1921, in Torrington Connecticut to his German immigrant parents John Lang and Olga Kiesel. The youngest of eight children, he was considered the baby by his siblings, all of whom helped raise, care and provide for him even through the depression era. He graduated from Torrington High School in 1939, after which he met his life-long love, Lillian Yurco while working as an apprentice machinist at the Union Hardware Company. The young couple loved to drive around in an old Chevy borrowed from an older brother, picnicking at local lakes, listening to big band music on the radio and singing duets together. Russ and Lil's carefree courtship was interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into WWII. Like every eligible young man at the time, Russ registered for military service, hoping to become a navigator with what was known at the time as the Army Air Force. He tested well, in fact so well that he was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and sent to Auburn University in Alabama to study Mechanical Engineering, the thought being these skills would be needed to help rebuild Europe after the war. The relative safety of ASTP ended when the army canceled the program and the students were put into basic training to bolster infantry ranks. By December 1944, Russ found himself with the 106th Infantry Division, stationed on the Belgian/German border in the Ardennes Forest, in what they were told was an area "not likely to see action" since the enemy was bogged down far away on the Eastern front. Ten days later, the Germans launched a massive attack now known as the Battle of the Bulge. The inexperienced troops were bombarded and encircled. They attempted to make it back to Allied-held positions but when munitions, supplies and food were expended two entire regiments, 7000 men, were forced to surrender. They were marched to a rail station, packed into cattle cars and shipped to the Stalags where they spent the rest of the war starving as POWs. Years later, Russ wrote a book derived from a secret diary he kept while a prisoner about his experience. For those interested information on ordering the book is provided below. But, if you knew Russ Lang, you knew that he was neither defined nor haunted by what happened in the war. Far from it, he was always one to make the best of every situation, even when the situation was pretty good to begin with. Reunited with Lil, they fulfilled their plans, marrying and moving to Hartford CT where he worked at Pratt and Whitney as a tool maker, a critical job for the accurate production of aircraft engine components. Shortly after the arrival of their first child Laura, Russ heard of a company by the name of IBM that was looking for talented engineers to help build something called a computer in their new manufacturing plant located in Poughkeepsie, NY. He jumped at the opportunity, ignoring nay-sayers and relocated his young family to the pleasant little town in the heart of the beautiful Hudson River Valley. Russ loved Poughkeepsie and thrived at IBM, advancing through the ranks of engineering management and retired in 1985 after a very successful 35-year career. During that time, two more children joined the Lang family, Cynthia and Russell. All three kids could not have asked for a better father, a gentleman who led by example with unwavering integrity, kindness, compassion and just the right amount of loving sternness. Russ enjoyed many recreational activities including, skiing, hiking, scenic drives, traveling, family vacations at Loon Lake, Lake Winnipesaukee and Cape Cod, making wine, designing things and in general working with his sturdy hands. You can still see the stone wall he built rock-by-rock without mortar at the family home on 47 Pleasant Ridge Drive. He was instrumental in saving from demolition and then relocating a historic chapel from the runway approach at Dutchess County Airport to Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, where he taught school children about native American life and demonstrated maple syrup production. Russ was also active with the 106th Division Alumni Association, attending annual reunions with his wife where he happily reconnected with many of his comrades, most notably his POW bunk mate. But certainly his favorite pastime was sailing. Rivers, lakes, oceans, small boat or large, at the tiller, trimming the sails or just along for the ride there was nothing he loved more. Rest assured if you see a sailboat, Russ Lang is on it in spirit, smiling from ear to ear. The retirement years were good to Russ and Lil and they lived happily in their Poughkeepsie home, traveling in and out of the country and spending time doting on their grandsons. As time marched on, health concerns prompted a move to assisted living in Massachusetts near their son. Lil passed away in 2012. Tragically Laura was lost to Covid in 2021. Russ's last move was to the Bedford MA Veterans facility in 2018. Right to the end he kept his positive attitude, treating his caregivers with respect and receiving loving care in return. If you are reading this, you are likely one of the multitude of souls Russ touched during his one hundred years on earth. Truly we have lost one of the greatest of the greatest generation. It's sad, but also brings joy, knowing that he has moved on to his very just reward and is reunited with his wife, his daughter and all the other loved ones who have gone before him. And finally, we can honor him by learning from him. Be positive, make the best of it, live up to your word, care about other people and give a little love. E Russell Lang's book "Captured at the Battle of the Bulge, Memoir of a P.O.W." can be found online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Services and interment in Hillside Cemetery, Torrington, CT will be private, for the family.