Salem - Douglas H. Lang, 58, of Washington Street, Salem, died Monday, December 12, 2022, in his home following a sudden illness. He was the loving friend of Wendy Mahoney of Salem.

Doug was born in Ipswich on November 27, 1964, one of the two children of the late Robert H. Lang, Jr. and the late Helen (Schlaufman) Lang. He was raised in Ipswich, a 1983 graduate of Ipswich High School, and went on to attend and graduate from Salem State College with a BA in English. Most recently he was employed as a Quality Management Coordinator at North Suffolk Metal Health Services. His previous position was Data Base Editor at The Social Law Library in Boston.

Doug was an avid reader of many genres. His favorites were science fiction, history and philosophy. He enjoyed comic books and had an impressive collection. Doug was also a film buff, and especially enjoyed classic horror movies. A talented writer, Doug had several essays published in literary magazines. For many years he was a weekly columnist for the Boston Metro newspaper.

Doug will be remembered by his family and friends for his great sense of humor, quick wit and talent as a story teller. He always had his family in stitches recounting escapades sailing the high seas with his father (Cap'n Bob) and his good friends Bert Entwistle and Keith Rice.

In addition to Wendy, he is survived by a sister, Cynthia Ferguson and her husband Michael, of Concord, NH; two nephews, Alec Ferguson and his wife Yanhua Gao, of Malden, Charles Ferguson of North Reading; a niece, Margaret Ferguson and her fiancée Bradley Miller, of Ipswich, and his step-mother, Linda Messer of Ipswich. He also had two beloved porcine pets, Ricky and Lucy.

His funeral service will be held Friday 11 a.m. in the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home, 6 High Street, Ipswich. Family and friends are cordially welcomed. Visiting hours will be held Thursday 5 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in his name may be made to: Maple Farms Sanctuary, 101 North Avenue, Mendon, MA 01756 www.maplefarmsanctuary.org For directions or to leave a condolence please visit www.whittier-porter.com