Karen Lading Tang

Karen Lading Tang, of Fulton, Maryland, entered larger life on May 10, 2026 - Mother's Day - surrounded by four generations of her family. She was 87 years old.

Born in Rochester, Minnesota, and raised in Pine Island, Minnesota, Karen was the proud daughter of Clarence and Mildred Hillson Lading. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a degree in Education and met the love of her life, Douglas Brayton Tang. They married in Pine Island in 1961 and shared 58 years together before Douglas's death in 2019.

Karen became an Episcopalian through her marriage and embraced the faith with wholehearted devotion. She served for many years at the Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she was a volunteer Director of Religious Education, a member of the Altar Guild, a devoted choir singer, and the first woman ever to serve as Senior Warden. She later worshipped at the Church of Our Savior in Silver Spring before joining St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Highland, Maryland, where she was a member of the Altar Guild, the book club, and the Mason house group.

Karen enjoyed a successful career working in the Washington office of a national security firm. But her passion was in teaching where she devoted the last two decades of her working life teaching fourth grade at the Newport School. There she shaped the minds and hearts of countless young students. Her classroom was an extension of the same warmth and welcome she brought to every corner of her life.

Karen and Douglas shared a deep love of travel, exploring Europe together on river and ocean cruises and journeying with beloved friends to places near and far. Among the most cherished of their travels was a trip to Norway, where both families had deep roots, retracing the paths of ancestors who had crossed an ocean to build a new life.

Karen had a gift for making people feel at home. Whether in the pew or at the holiday table, there was always room - and there was always warmth. Countless guests found a place at her Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners simply because they had nowhere else to go. That same welcoming spirit extended far beyond her own three children: she fostered a teenage girl, served as Godmother to many, and mothered more young people than could easily be counted. Many who knew her felt, at one time or another, that she had claimed them as her own - whether they had asked for it or not.

An avid reader, Karen also enjoyed weekly Mahjong with a cherished circle of friends. She was known as a consummate hostess and cook, and she treated herself each evening to a small bowl of ice cream - a quiet ritual she maintained with great contentment until the end.

Karen is survived by her three children and their spouses, Jennifer Claire and Charlie Turner, Christopher Douglas Tang and Monica Butta, and Emily Louise and Timothy Higgins; her seven grandchildren, Christine and Shannon Bateman, Jessica and Erik Smith, Robert Tang, Stephen Tang, Corinne Butta, Adam Butta, and Maya Higgins; her three great-grandchildren, Charlotte

Bateman, Ava Bateman, and Braxton Smith; her sister, Judy Curtis; and her nieces Rachel Tjaden and AnnaBeth Saidleman. She was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Douglas Brayton Tang.

A Burial Eucharist in which we give thanks for the life and witness of Karen will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 9202 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, Maryland 21042, on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception to follow. Interment will be private.

In her later years, Karen relied on hearing devices, and she spoke often of how precious the gift of hearing was to her - how much it meant to receive the world, the music, and the voices of those she loved. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be directed to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 12701 Hall Shop Road, Highland, Maryland 20777, designated for the sound system, so that others may clearly hear the words that carry us home.