Bozrah. Mary Elizabeth Lang of Bozrah, formerly of New London, New Haven and Cheshire, died on November 6, 2023 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital of metastatic renal cancer in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection. She was born in New London in 1947, one of four children of the late Hubert Gregory and Frances Alling Lang.
Mary Elizabeth is survived by her husband Bruce Neild of Bozrah, her daughter Rebecca McFarland (Ingimar Bjarnason) of Farmington, CT, stepdaughter Kimberly Neild (Andrew McKenzie) of Broad Brook, stepson Joel Neild (Amanda) of Clermont, Florida, niece Elizabeth Cook (Charles), nephew Seth Squires (Vicki), seven grandchildren, two grand-nephews and a grand- niece. Her sisters Pamela Lang O’Murray (Sean) and Patricia Lang, both of Connecticut, and her brother, the Reverend Andrew Lang of Cleveland, Ohio, also survive her.
Mary Elizabeth was educated in New London at New London High School, from which she graduated with honors in the class of 1965. She went on to earn a B.A. in English and Medieval Studies from Barnard College at Columbia University and an M.A.T. from Yale University in English. At the age of 60, she received her M.F.A. in Poetry and Literature from Bennington Writing Seminars.
In addition to helping to raise three children, Mary Elizabeth followed a double career track in writing and teaching. She taught middle school in Branford and New Haven, worked in educational publishing, and served as a research assistant, writer, editor, and writing tutor at Yale University before beginning her college teaching career at Southern Connecticut State University in 1987, where she taught writing for 25 years.
Mary Elizabeth was the author and coauthor of many nonfiction articles, primarily about child development and social policy, and wrote a book with Dr. Edward Zigler, “Child Care Choices: Balancing the Needs of Children, Families and Society.” She is also the author of three books of poetry, “Under Red Cedars” (2008), “Permanent Guests” (2018) and “Lot’s Wife” (2023) and has had numerous poems published in journals and literary magazines. While a member of Connecticut writing groups Artemis Rising, Still River Writers and Brickwalk Poets, she made many good poet friends. Besides reading and writing, her hobbies included choral music, camping, nature walks, needlework and quilting, home renovation and decoration, furniture design, touring historical buildings, playing Scrabble and studying Connecticut colonial and Native American history.
Raised a Roman Catholic, Mary Elizabeth converted to the Episcopal faith in her twenties and became an active member of parishes in Cheshire, Norwich and Poquetanuck, Connecticut, serving in many different roles. During the 1970s, she was among the first women in the diocese of Connecticut to be licensed to administer the chalice during the Eucharist. She was for several years co- director of the Christ Episcopal Church Food Pantry, which later she helped to reorganize as the Norwich Interfaith Food Pantry with friend and former classmate Christine Murtha.
Since moving back to New London County in retirement, Mary Elizabeth has involved herself as well in local civic and social organizations. She served on the Bozrah Board of Education and the Democratic Town Committee, contributed local news stories to “The Norwich Times,” a weekly publication of “The New London Day.”
Mary Elizabeth and her family would like to thank the medical and support staff of Yale Smilow Cancer Center, New Haven and Waterford, Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, and HHC at Home Hospice Care for their care and assistance throughout the various stages of her cancer journey. In lieu of flowers, you may make a contribution in her honor to any of these organizations or to the St.
Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Norwich, Connecticut, in the form of grocery gift cards. In addition, her survivors are grateful for the support of Exelixis, Pfizer and Merck pharmaceutical companies in making sure medications were available to her as needed.
A funeral service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church, 95 Rte. 2A, Preston, on Saturday, Nov. 18th, at 11:00 am. A private interment of ashes ceremony will be at the Alling/Lang family plot at Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London, at a date and time convenient to the family.
The Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Ocean Ave., New London is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Posted online on November 10, 2023
Published in The Norwich Bulletin
