WINDHAM – Harry Lang, who served as Santa Claus and the security guard at the Windham Mall for many years, died on St. Patrick’s Day after 94 years of living a good life, friends said this week.

And Lang had a lot of friends.

“He was a wonderful man,” said Maggie Garry, who along with her husband Dave, owner of Thatcher’s Restaurant in North Windham, took Lang in to live with them after Lang’s wife, Beverly, died in the early 1990s. The Garrys got to know Lang well since he would eat daily at Thatcher’s, which was located in the mall.

“He used to eat at Thatcher’s. He loved soup – fish chowder, clam chowder. We even had a special bowl we’d use especially for Harry. We called it the ‘Harry Bowl of Chowder,’ which we’re still serving,” Maggie Garry said.

Lang may be best remembered in the community for being the Windham Mall’s security guard. Bill Diamond, now the area’s state senator, owned Suburban Security in the 1980s and hired Lang in 1984.

“He was beloved,” Diamond said. “He was the goodwill ambassador for the Windham Mall. Everybody liked him and respected him. He was always tough, strong. He was a big guy but had the tender heart of a little girl.”

Diamond remembers Lang as a hard worker as well.

“Oh my God, he always came in early and left late,” Diamond said. “To him, that was his mall. He was there if anybody needed him and he just went above and beyond the call of duty.”

Lang, originally from Attica in upstate New York, worked in the insurance industry after serving in World War II. After retiring, he and his wife, Beverly, moved to Camden to operate a motel, which they turned into a successful enterprise. After selling the motel, Garry said the Langs then moved to Windham, where Lang became active in the community.

While much of his work life revolved around the mall, Lang is also remembered for creating a home for Windham’s veteran community. He and several other veterans got together in the 1990s to create the Windham Veterans Association. They spent their own money and sweat erecting a large hall behind the Windham Mall.

“We put a lot of work into that place,” remembers fellow veteran John Gavin of Windham. “We laid down the floor tiles and he danced on every single one with a great deal of satisfaction.”

Gavin said Lang served as a past president of the Windham Veterans Association as well as commander of American Legion Post 148. He also said Lang served in World War II as a Marine, once penetrating behind enemy lines in China. He earned a Purple Heart for his bravery.

“He basically was part of a group of guerrilla fighters in China,” Gavin said.

Don Rogers, another of Lang’s longtime friends and also integral to building the veterans center, said the Legion used to meet in the daylight basement of Lang’s home on Route 302 in North Windham.

“We used to meet at Harry’s. We also met at Maurice Mayberry’s house and my house because we didn’t have a hall,” Rogers said. “But the VFW wanted to build a hall and the Legion did too, so we got together and built on land Maurice Mayberry owned. But Harry was a great asset and a good fellow. Everybody liked Harry.”

Maggie Garry, who invited Lang to stay in an attached apartment at her Raymond home in 1995 and said she was “more of a daughter to him,” said Lang “went very peacefully” March 17 while staying at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough. She added, “We want to thank all the people who have been kind and generous to Harry.”

Last Thursday, veterans and others gathered at the Windham Veterans Center after funeral services for Lang were held at Dolby Funeral Chapel in South Windham. VFW Commander Bob Akins officiated and led the playing of the Marine Corps Hymn while those in attendance stood at attention. The veterans will further honor Lang by spreading his ashes over Veterans Memorial Garden, located beside the center, on Memorial Day in May.

Harry Lang, 94, of Windham, passed away last week. He was crucial in creating the Windham Veterans Center and was beloved for serving as Santa Claus at the Windham Mall, where he was also a longtime security guard. Courtesy photo
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