FREDERICK ANDREW LANG, FCA, LLD

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FREDERICK ANDREW LANG, FCA, LLD Passed peacefully into the arms of his Lord on March 25, 2011. Born June 8, 1910 in Dunrea, Manitoba, one of seven children, he came to Winnipeg at an early age. A graduate of Daniel McIntyre College and the University of Manitoba, he was a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He served for seven years as an Assessor of income tax for the provincial and federal income tax departments and in 1941 became secretary treasurer and director of Systems Equipment Limited. In 1955 with Swiss backing, he founded and obtained a Federal Charter for a new life insurance company and launched Canadian Premier Life Insurance Company with offices across Canada, where he served as President Managing Director. That company later merged with Citadel Assurance of which Fred was Director Emeritus, now a part of the Axa Insurance Group. Fred was also a community leader in the health field and became Chairman of the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation and later Chairman of the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology. He joined the board of the Health Sciences Centre in 1972 and was Chairman in 1975. He was also a director of the MacKinnon Foundation (missions and elderly housing) a member of the Manitoba Health Sciences Coordinating Council (medical centre planning). Fred received an honorary doctor of laws degree (LLD) from the University of Manitoba in 1978. However, Fred's passion in life was his Christian faith, reflected in his work with the Union Gospel Mission in Winnipeg, Elim Chapel, the Bethesda Church, which he helped found and served as Chair of Elders' Board. Fred was Vice-President, Canadian Bible Society and was involved in several city-wide Christian campaigns in Winnipeg including Chair of the Billy Graham Centenary Crusade in 1967. Fred was also the Chair of Regent College's Board of Governors and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada for several decades. Fred married his childhood sweetheart, Ruth Noble in 1938. His three children, Charon Gooding (the late Jim Gooding), Stuart (Helen) Douglas (Georgialee) eventually settled on the West Coast and when Fred retired at 65, he and Ruth moved to Vancouver where they worshipped at St. David's Church, West Vancouver United Church and West Vancouver Presbyterian Church. Fred was preceded in death by Ruth and his siblings. Survived by his three children, their spouses, his grandchildren James, Chandra, Alexandra and Jennifer and their spouses, and seven great-grandchildren, the youngest born 100 years after him. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at West Vancouver Presbyterian Church, at 2893 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, B.C. There will be a reception following the service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Regent College.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 29, 2011