Eaton A. Lang, Jr.

Eaton Adlai “Beadie” Lang, Jr., 83, was born in Pass Christian on August 7, 1926 and passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2009, in Gulfport. A lifelong resident, he took pride in the fact that his great, great grandparents John and Sarah Huddleston and their line of descendants have lived in the Pass Christian-DeLisle area from the 1840s. They came from Columbus to the DeLisle area where he established a timber/sawmill business and a sailing schooner to haul people and goods along the Coast between New Orleans and Mobile. Their daughter, Emily A. Huddleston was born in Sylacauga, Alabama and moved to Columbus along with her parents. He is preceded in death by his father, E. A. Lang, Sr., his mother, Anna Hire Lang, an infant brother, Gordon C. Lang and brother, Nelson C. Lang. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Jane (Williams) Lang; daughter Jane Lang Byrne and son Eaton A. “Bud” Lang, III of Pass Christian; daughter Nancy Williams Lang of Clemmons, NC, and son William Lee Lang of Birmingham, AL. His daughters-in-law include Lucinda Kidd Lang of Pass Christian and Amy Anzalone-Lang of Birmingham. Eaton’s son-in-law is E. Crosby Moss of Clemmons, NC. Grandchildren include: Elizabeth Lang Norman and husband Mark Norman of Orlando, FL; David Byrne, Jr. and wife Andrea Altman Byrne of Atlanta, GA; Cameron Huddleston Byrne and his wife Lisa Helbert Byrne of Knoxville, TN; Eaton A. “Sam” Lang, IV and his wife Lianna Steele Lang, Erik A. Lang and his fiancé Marissa Pierre and Emily A. Lang of Pass Christian; and Joseph William Lang and Madeline Anne Lang of Birmingham, AL. Great-grandchildren include Haley Lang of Mountain View, MO, London Ella Byrne of Knoxville, TN, Hannah Grace Harris of Pass Christian, MS, and Adlai Garner Norman of Orlando, FL . He is also survived by one brother, John Hire Lang of Pass Christian, and a number of nieces and nephews. He was a lifelong communicant of St. Paul’s Catholic Parish where he had from time to time served as acolyte, usher captain, eucharistic minister and member of the Parish Council. Mr. Lang attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School in his home parish, a block east of his home at 136 West Beach (now Scenic Drive) and then moved on to St. Stanislaus College Prep, at Bay St. Louis, where he graduated after 4 years as a member of the Class of ‘44. At SSC he earned a Scholarship Medal in 1943. Graduating from high school in the middle of World War II, he went off to war rather that entering college. He had a fulfilling maritime avocation that began with operating small sailboats off the Pass beach and moved up through tugboat deck hand, able bodied seaman, Cadet-Midshipman, Third Mate and finally U. S. Coast Guard Reserve Officer where he reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander following a second tour of military service in the Korean War. During WWII most of his sea time was on the S.S. Palo Duro and S.S. Sea Hydra. His primary vocation was the practice of law in Gulfport, which started as Eaton & Cottrell and grew over almost fifty years into Eaton, Cottrell, Galloway, Lang & Stone. It has now merged into the law firm of Balch & Bingham, a multifaceted LLC of more than 200 lawyers with offices in three states and D. C. Besides Real Estate and Probate law, his main law practice was generally in the field of Public Utility Law where his primary clients for more that forty years was Mississippi Power Company, headquartered in Gulfport, and Southern Company, headquartered in Atlanta. He was active in the work of the Bar Association as a whole. He was a member of the Harrison County Bar Association (president), American Bar Association, Lawyer and Pilots Bar Associations, and the Mississippi Bar Association where he served on the Board of Directors, Vice President and in 1960 served a term as president of the Junior Bar Section of the statewide bar. He also served a term as President of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. He served a four year term by appointment by the Mississippi Supreme Court as a member of the Complaint Tribunal hearing disciplinary cases involving lawyers licensed in this State. In 1968, at age 42, Eaton Lang took up aviation. A skillful pilot, he earned an Instrument Rating. For many years he was co-owner of Mooney N5918Q based at Gulfport International Airport. His favorite destination was Marsh Harbor Airport on the Bahamian Out-Island of Abaco. He took pride in that he had taken off and landed at more than fifty airports in the State of Mississippi. His college work was all at the University of Mississippi, both in pre law and in Law School. While at Ole Miss he participated in a wide range of activities. He served as Business Manager of the student newspaper, on the Inter-Fraternity Council, on the Student Body Dance Committee, The Committee of 100 (campus wide religious retreat), and was recognized with membership in various organizations including Kappa Sigma (social), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership), Phi Eta Sigma (scholarship) (president), Phi Alpha Delta (law), Newman Club (Catholic Students) (president). He was named Pass Christian Citizen of the Year in 1992, recognition that he shared with his father, E. A. Lang and his Aunt Jane Lang who were so recognized earlier. He was active in a wide range of activities. He served the Harrison County Chapter of the American Red Cross as a member of their Board of Directors, Chairman of their monthly Blood Bank Drive, Disaster Shelter Manager in the western end of the County and the Board of Regents of the Mississippi Museum of Art Gulf Coast. He was a lifelong member of the Pass Christian Yacht Club, Pass Christian Historical Society and various other private endeavors. In official service to his community he served Pass Christian from time to time on the following agencies: President of the School Board, City Attorney, Historic Preservation Commission, Civil Service Commission, Planning Commission and The Harrison County Development Commission as appointee of the City. Visitation will be on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School, 4321 Espy Avenue, Long Beach, MS. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Live Oak Cemetery in Pass Christian. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Stanislaus College, 304 S. Beach Boulevard, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520. Mississippi Chapter American Parkinson Disease Association, P.O. Box 278, Forest, MS. 39074, or the charity of your choice. Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, in Gulfport is in charge of arrangements