Kenneth R. Lange, AIA, passed away at his home in Stamford on April 9th, surrounded by his loving family. The second son of Robert Lange and Anna Blohm Lange of Yonkers, NY, he was born on January 21, 1935.

Ken graduated from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers where he was captain of the cross-country team and was regarded as one of the more talented artists in his class. He went on to Penn State University with a NROTC scholarship, graduating in 1958. While he planned to major in art, the navy required a more “practical” degree, so he studied architecture which would become a lifelong passion. He was a member and president of the Sigma Pi fraternity.

Upon graduation, Ken started his active-duty career as a Naval Officer. He excelled at all assignments that he was tasked with. While serving as Communications Officer on the USS Tortuga, he was one of the youngest department heads in the fleet. LTJG Lange was recognized as an expert ship handler and was often tasked with bringing the ship in and out of port, normally reserved for more senior officers. While assigned to the USS Tortuga, Ken was deployed to the South Pacific numerous times, and later would fondly remember his time spent in Japan and Hong Kong, in addition to days spent surfing at Coronado Beach.

After the Navy, Ken worked as an architect in New York and for the City of Yonkers as a fallout shelter evaluator. A favorite project was the work he did on the 1964 World’s Fair Vatican exhibit where he helped design the display of Michelangelo’s Pieta. When the Fair closed, he lived and worked in Aalborg, Denmark. His time there was spent in an award-winning office where he worked on celebrated projects. During his time in Denmark, he traveled throughout Europe and began to find his love for skiing. Upon his return home, he worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York City.

Ken eventually joined the architectural firm of Elder and Angell as a partner in Bedford Village, NY. The firm of Elder, Angell, & Lange focused on residential architecture and designed beautiful homes for Fortune 500 executives, philanthropists like Leon Levy and Shelby White, Jerome Kohlberg, and artists like Robert Motherwell. His home in Stamford was the project he may have spent the most time on, renovating structures and gardens throughout the property. He moved the office to his home in the 1990s and continued to work on residential designs until his retirement in 2018, where he could then most often be found on his tractor, caring for his land.

Mr. Lange was predeceased by his parents, brother Robert Lange, sister June Santoro, and daughter Amy Lange. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Clay Lange, daughters, Holly and Robin Lange, his stepchildren, Silsbee Biddle Philo and Law Biddle, and his grandchildren, Jillian and Will Philo.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Kenneth Lange will be held on April 27 from 11am to 1pm at the Hoyt Funeral Home. 199 Main Street, New Canaan, Connecticut.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/kenneth-lange/obituary/

Copy