Nancy S. Lang, 95, of Shrewsbury

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Nancy S. LangShrewsbury – Nancy Simmerer Lang, known to family and friends as “Nana,” passed away at her home early Monday morning, June 19th at the age of 95. Born in Worcester, MA on March 9, 1928, to H. Eugene Simmerer and Dorothy Mae Wood Simmerer, Nancy was a beautiful, vibrant, talented woman, a wife and mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother who brought great fun and joy to all those around her.

Growing up in the Worcester area, she showed an inclination for theatre and performance at an early age. She attended South High School, Worcester and earned a diploma in 1949 from Leland Powers School of Radio and Theatre in Boston, MA. While in Boston she met her husband to be, Andrews Madden Lang, a graduate of MIT; they married at the Martha Mary Chapel, Wayside Inn, Sudbury, MA in 1949. Their life together extended to diverse locations, starting from Pittsburgh, PA; to Stamford, CT; Saranac Lake, NY; Newport, Wales, UK; Berkshire, England, UK; and Buffalo, NY. Following the death of her husband in 1974, after short periods in NYC and Washington, DC, she returned to Shrewsbury, MA.

Andy and Nancy raised two daughters, Sandra Lang Landsman (Robert H. Landsman) and Jami Lang Castell (John Castell.) She adored her grandchildren, Rachael and Robert Castell and Andrews Landsman, and their spouses, and her great-grandchildren, Wren and Romy Castell, as well as her numerous nieces and nephews.

Throughout her life she maintained an avid interest in theatre and the arts; she instilled a love of culture in her family and friends. Wherever she lived, she was involved in dramatic productions. In Saranac Lake summer stock and elsewhere, she was a lead in The Diary of Anne Frank, Our Town, Born Yesterday, Separate Tables, and The Madwoman of Chaillot, among other plays and musicals. Following studies at Weist Barron, an on-camera acting studio in NYC, she became a member of SAG-AFTRA, and engaged in film and television work in NYC and New England into her eighties.

Nancy ‘Nana’ was a unique personality, a one-off, who had tremendous insight into people and life. Her 1947 high school yearbook Aftermath states, “She was forever ready with one of those smart quips we all enjoyed so much….she seems to attract everyone to her.” She never changed! Ever independent, she lived alone but touched the lives of everyone she met. Always funny, always glamorous, (never without lipstick,) she lit up a room with panache, style and gaiety. It’s hard to believe that our beloved Nana with so much wit, spirit and warmth is not with us anymore. The world will be a little less bright now that she has gone.

Family and friends will honor Nancy’s life by gathering for her memorial services on Saturday, July 8th, in The First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury, 19 Church Road, Shrewsbury at 11:00 AM. Collation will follow immediately at the conclusion of the service in Gifford Hall.

Chiampa Funeral Home of Shrewsbury assisted with arrangements.

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