Ruth E. Lang (Kahl)

Ruth was born in Waynesboro, Pa. where she lived with her parents and four brothers until she moved to Baltimore and attended South Baltimore General nursing school. This is where she met her husband, Edmund Lang, who was one of her patients. They married on September 9, 1942. When Edmund joined the Navy and headed to the Pacific in World War 2, she moved back to Waynesboro and practiced industrial nursing at the Frick Company. After Edmund was discharged, they moved back to Baltimore, purchased a home in Rodgers Forge in 1950, and raised their daughters, Cindy and Kathy.

In 1994, she and Kathy built a home in Kingsville, where she lived for 27 years until her death. While there, she shared her life with her grandsons, Dan and Greg, who were the light of her life.

Ruth was a fabulous cook, having learned lots of great country recipes from her mother. Some of her specialties were chicken corn soup and sour beef with dumplings. She also made lemon meringue and peach pies to rival any pastry chef. Every Thanksgiving Ruth and her family would start making fruit cakes and myriad Christmas cookies, which were out of this world!

Ruth was an avid birder, and excelled at recognizing a plethora of birds. Her bookshelves were full of books about birds. Through her reading she became very proficient in her knowledge of birds, being able to identify them by their call, plumage, size and living habits.

Another of Ruth’s skills was sewing She was a very talented self-taught seamstress. Many of her family’s clothes were made by her on an old treadle sewing machine. With a more modern sewing machine, her skills flourished. She sewed many dresses using patterns that she often made herself. One special dress she made was the one she wore to Kathy’s wedding. She also made all of the bridesmaids’ dresses. When asked how she could make these dresses without a pattern, she replied, “You just do it!” Easy for her!! She also really enjoyed sewing handwork pieces, huck toweling, crewel and counted cross stitch, which were framed and became beautiful pictures in her home. Her home was filled with many antiques which were either actually made or inherited from her family members. She immersed herself in learning all about her antiques, and of course became an expert on antiques, particularly glassware. Ruth appeared on the TV show Antiques Roadshow about 2007 with a unique Tramp Art hutch, made by one of her relatives while he was helping his wife recover from an illness. It was one of the most treasured pieces of furniture in her home.

For relaxation Ruth loved duckpin bowling and was always one of the high scorers on her team in Towson. She had a passion for the Orioles, purchasing season tickets so she and Cindy could go to games. She loved the “BIRDS” whether they were having a winning or losing season. If she wasn’t at the ballpark she watched every game at home, and expanded her baseball knowledge. She loved to watch all kinds of sports, her recent favorite was golf, because it reminded her of her brothers who were very good golfers.

Ruth was an Elementary School nurse for Baltimore County Public Schools for over 20 years. After she retired she volunteered at Kingsville Elementary, which Greg attended. She said it was the best “job” she ever had, she loved seeing the little kids smile every day, and was very popular with them. BCPS gave her a special volunteer award to recognize her achievement of having volunteered over 1,000 hours at Kingsville.

Ruth immersed herself fully in everything that she did. Her memory of her childhood family was so extraordinary that four years ago, she decided to write a genealogy of the Kahl, Fischer, and Laubs families, from which she descended. At 101 she was the longest living relative of any member of her family, dating back many generations.

We know she is in Heaven with her angel wings. Maybe now she’ll take a little rest!

On May 25, 2021, Ruth Elaine Lang (nee Kahl) passed away; beloved wife of the late Edmund P. Lang; devoted mother of Kathleen J. Miller and Cynthia Lang-Bachur; loving grandmother of Daniel J. Miller and Gregory J. Miller; dear sister of Robert E. Kahl and the late Earl, John and Herman Kahl.

Visiting at the E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home, P.A. 11750 Belair Road (Kingsville) on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. A Christian Wake Service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 3:30 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Stephen Church (Bradshaw) on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 1 pm. (Live stream available at www.ssparish.org via Facebook link) Interment St. Joseph Church Cemetery (Fullerton). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Stephen Church, 8030 Bradshaw Road, Kingsville, MD 21087.