I attended Greg's memorial service today, and it finally hit me like a ton of bricks: he's really gone.
Since I began following Greg's story, a lot of people have asked me how I've managed to stay with it without falling apart. The truth is, I never really accepted in my heart the words I was writing on paper. I may have written in detail about his declining health, but I never believed he wouldn't rebound. Miracles always seem to happen.
But being surrounded by his family today, for the first time without him, I realized what I had never accepted to be true. Here we are, and here he is not.
Thankfully, Greg never veiled the truth. He lived every day knowing what was in store, and he treasured every day because of it. Although he hoped, he never kidded himself into believing his time on Earth was unlimited.
I thanked Greg today for teaching me so much. He showed me that complaining doesn't make things better, but my attitude does. He helped me to be more passionate about what I do, which couldn't have come at a more crucial time in my career. He made me a better writer, and a better person, because he wouldn't let me shut him out of my heart.
Here is the last installment from my Naples Daily News series on Greg. I only hope it does him justice.
By Jennifer Brannock
JenCox416@yahoo.com
Perched with a smile at the foot of winding white stairs that appeared to extend from the stage at Gulf Coast High School into the sky, Gregory Lang, immortalized in black and white, said goodbye Saturday morning.
A slide show of images, some sentimental, but most goofy, revealed the 18-year-old’s life story. Frozen moments of Greg and his girlfriend, Brianna Hanson, his family, his days as a golfer, drummer, graduate and public speaker paraded across an oversized screen, accompanied by a collection of rock music, from Dire Straights to U2.
Greg’s prized golf clubs, personalized and sent to him by professional golfer Greg Norman, stood poised beside a podium in the auditorium of his alma mater. His prosthetic leg, decorated with the Gulf Coast mascot, the shark, stole the gazes of guests at the door.
Most had never seen him without it. Or it without him.
Greg’s contagious smile shone from an overwhelming mélange of photographs that captured a life too short, but far from unfulfilled.
Saturday’s memorial service was a time for celebration and remembrance. It was a time to carry out Gregory’s final request.
***
As she approached the podium, Ann Lang placed her son’s favorite teddy bear on top of his golf bag for all to see.
Greg, she said, had been speaking to her from Heaven all day. Ann addressed the crowd confidently without a speech, because, she said, Greg would tell her when to stop talking.
“The last time I spoke publicly, Gregory was standing next to me,” Ann said, composed and peaceful. “Guess what, Gregory is still standing next to me.
“He always will be next to me.”
She wanted to remind the crowd of over 100 friends and family members why they were there.
Greg didn’t want his loved ones focused on the cancer that cost him his life Monday. His message of positive thinking and hope, and his perpetual playfulness, even in his final days, are to be Greg’s legacy.
“Gregory hated negativity,” Ann told gatherers. “Now, he’s watching you all from Heaven, so go out and do good things, and be positive.
“Do what’s right. And, if you’re not sure what’s right, talk to Gregory.”
On the front row, Greg’s immediate family – his sister, Kaitlyn, adopted father, Tim, and stepbrothers Tim and Peter – embraced Ann as she returned to her seat.
She had done her job. Now, her son can be at peace.
***
A few weeks ago, Greg and his 17-year-old girlfriend made each other important promises. Greg promised to stay alive until their 11-month anniversary on Sept. 8. Brianna promised to be by his side.
Although he was silent, in an irreversible coma, Brianna felt his presence. He kept his promise, so she kept hers.
Greg and Brianna said their private goodbyes that day. She took with her his favorite clothing item, a faded gray T-shirt from Key West.
“It still smells like him,” she said, smiling.
As she received hugs at the front door of the auditorium, Brianna found herself staring at her boyfriend’s portrait over well-wishers’ shoulders. She allowed herself to cry.
“That smile…” she whispered, trailing off. “Always that smile.”
Robbed of her love at the start of her senior year at Gulf Coast, it would be easy for the teen to slip into a state of depression and mourning.
But Gregory begged her not to, and, if she can, she will listen.
Friday, she braved her first day back at school since Greg’s passing. She cried, and she ached. But she pressed on, just as he had hoped she would.
***
To call attendees of Saturday’s memorial “mourners” would have been an insult to Greg. Though there were plenty of tears, Greg’s friends and family made sure there were lots of laughs, too.
Lutheran Pastor Bill Miller spoke of his 10-year history with Greg as a journey of joy. He gleefully recalled a time when Greg, as a young boy, removed his prosthetic leg and raced around the carpet, bragging to the pastor that he was the fastest crawler in the world.
Greg’s attitude, Miller said, never changed. He didn’t complain when he lost his leg as a result of foot cancer at the age of 3. He embraced it, and became the champion of carpet racing in his own home.
“I’m sure he’s hitting a few hole-in-ones right now. I’m sure he’s hitting some double-bogeys, too,” Miller said, chuckling. “He is rejoicing.”
Throughout the service, rock-and-roll favorites of Greg’s, such as “Beautiful Day,” by U2, and “Spirit in the Sky,” by Norman Greenbaum, blared over the auditorium speakers, reminding guests of Greg’s silly and spontaneous style.
“This is the way Gregory wanted it, and I honor my son,” Ann told guests.
Greg’s drum teacher and friend, Drew Conner, treated gatherers to a unique tribute. Conner, who said he spent time in Africa furthering his spirituality, played a rambunctious tune on the bongos, and encouraged the crowd to clap and sing along.
“We love you, Gregory!” he yelled in tandem with his drumming.
“Let’s send Greg a spiritual telephone call,” he urged guests.
Two specially selected songs marked the conclusion of the service. “Now We Are Free,” by Enya, was chosen in honor of Greg’s favorite movie, Gladiator.
In his final months, Greg often quoted a prophetic line from the movie: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
At the 2001 funeral service for Greg’s father, Gregory Weber Sr., who also died of cancer, Ann, Greg and Kaitlyn attempted to play U2’s “Beautiful Day.” In what Ann calls a stroke of serendipity, the CD accidentally skipped to the song “Walk On.”
“And if the darkness is to keep us apart, and if the daylight feels like it's a long way off, and if your glass heart should crack, and for a second you turn back, oh no, be strong. Oh, oh, walk on, walk on.”
Those lyrics still hang on the wall in Greg’s bedroom. Ann could think of no better way to end the day than with the inspirational song.
“Every one of you made Gregory feel at home here in Naples,” Ann said, smiling. “I want to thank you all for that gift to my son.”
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For information on the Gregory Weber Lang Foundation, promoting cancer research and awarding scholarships to students triumphing over adversity, contact Colonial Bank, (239) 352-3075.
I believe in serendipity. I'm not sure Jeremy and I were quite ready to open our hearts to another dog yet. We had planned to wait until Christmas before getting another dog.
