Anne Louise (Toctan) Lang, age 82, died Wednesday, January 9, 2019. Anne was born on May 24, 1936, in Detroit, MI, to Anthony and Bedia Toctan. She was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Edward Martin Lang.
She was a wonderful, dedicated mother to Diane(Blair) Simmons ; Darlene (Michael) Reese; Donna (Gary) McFarlane; Denise (James) Yaklin; and Edward Martin Lang Jr. A loving Grandmother to Chelsea (Ryan) Gannon and Chet Simmons; David Reese, Drew Reese; Kurt (Megan) McFarlane, Nick McFarlane; Alex Yaklin, Victoria Yaklin, Grace Yaklin; Samantha Lang, Eddie Lang and Timmy Lang, and Great-grandmother to Hugh McFarlane and Cooper Gannon. Anne, affectionately known as Louise or Aunt Lou, lived a life of love, laughter and music. She was a trained classical pianist, but she enjoyed and had a respect for all music genres.
She played beautifully, so our home was constantly filled with music. You knew it was dinner time when the stereo went on and the candles were lit. Dinners were an event in our home.
She made sure of it, even if it was only pizza. It would be served and eaten by candle light. As would be expected, a family with five children was very busy and running in a multitude of directions.
Because of the importance of family, dinner was the consistent and important time when we were all gathered together and shared the events of the day. Mom would purposely eat slowly so that she had time to hear from each and every one of us, which in turn made each and every one of us feel equally important. With five children came five different personalities, and also five different sets of life goals.
She respected her children and gave them confidence to seek their own paths. But, when asked, she was always willing to walk with each of us and offer her unique advice and perspective. Most of the time, she knew us better than we knew ourselves.
At the time, the advice may have seemed odd, but more often than not her words were visionary and rang true. Even with her illness, she could focus in (call it motherly instinct) on her children. If something seemed troubling, she found the wherewithal to be able to discuss and to give her usually insightful motherly advice.
As her children, we feel this is the one thing we will miss most about her. Mom and Dad were always up for entertaining at our home. Their parties were, wait for it, LEGENDARY, to our friends.
Their famous saying was, “there is always room for one more! ” It couldn’t be more true, ranging from a regular weeknight dinner to a graduation party of 100+ family and friends. Food preparation for these parties was an art form at our house.
To see our mother, her mother, and her sisters prepare for one of these life-event parties, was a sight to behold. A kitchen no bigger than 80 square feet prepared food for everyone. There was no such thing as hiring a caterer.
From rolling and stuffing the cabbage and grape leaves, to the preparation of the mostaccioli, it was pure art and pure love. After retirement, Mom and Dad moved up north to Houghton Lake. There they spent 20+ years enjoying Pure Michigan.
Mom and Dad’s main objective for moving to Houghton Lake was, of course, family. They knew if they could find a home welcoming their 20+ children and grandchildren, they could continue to make family memories. From swimming and fishing in the summers, to snowmobiling and Tip-up-Town in the winters, the food was always on, the beer was always cold, the coffee was always hot, and the Grand Marnier was always nearby.
She taught her grandchildren respect for the outdoors. Her grandsons knew how to fillet a fish with never a bone to be found. If you caught it you ate it, and she took the time to show you how.
She also taught her grandchildren how to make the perfect S’more over her perfect bonfires, while the whole neighborhood rocked out to Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight”, blaring from her outdoor speakers. Of course, Mom volunteered her time between the Elks and the Eagles, cooking for special events, including Sunday brunches. One of the special events was the day of the Michigan vs.
Michigan State football game. . If by chance the Spartans lost that day, which was more often than not the case for the Little Brothers in East Lansing, Dad would have to lead in the singing of “Hail to the Victors”.
They sponsored this event and is a tradition at the Eagles that carries on to this day. Our mother had style. All kinds of style.
Her closet had the full spectrum of styles. Whether it was a classy ball gown, hosting a dinner party, a snowmobile suit, or fishing attire for the pontoon at Houghton Lake, she had the clothes and personality to cover it all. She always taught us if you look good you feel good, no matter if you were nine months pregnant or chasing little ones of your own, make sure to take care of yourself first.
It wasn’t just about looking good. It was about feeling good about yourself, and the rest of the day would fall into place. Because of this, her daughters and granddaughters know there always is a perfect dress or perfect outfit for whatever the event.
Mom gave her kids and grandkids too many memories to capture in this short synopsis of her life. From Mom to Grandma to Nana to Colorful Grandma, she will remain in our hearts forever, the hearts of our children, and pass on her sense of style and grace, her heart of gold, the value of friendship, and the courage to always carry on. Mom will be dearly missed by her brother, Anthony (Ernestine) Solomon, and sisters Mary Christoff and Antoinette (Jim) Springer.
She was preceded in death by her loving sister, Rose Mary Elliott and Theresa Solomon. Mom also leaves behind many nieces and nephews. Her late nephews Peter Solomon and Paul Anthony Christoff are with her now as is her brother-in-laws Sylvester Paul Christoff and Joseph Elliott.
Mom’s celebration of life gathering and memorial mass will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2019, at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church 157 Lake Shore Drive, in Grosse Pointe, MI from 11:30 am until time of mass at 12(Noon). In lieu of flowers, if inclined, please consider a donation to one of these charities that mom supported; Capuchin Brothers and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Anne Louise Lang please visit our Sympathy Store.
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