WEETA LANG ADAMS
April 22, 1923 to May 12, 2016
She brightened the universe
Weeta Lang Adams, whose benevolent nature and ever-present humor brightened the universe for all who knew and loved her, passed away peacefully at home in Vinings, GA after a lengthy and valiant struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s—her adored son at her side. She was 87.
Abraham Lincoln had a saying that Weeta’s son, James Arthur Adams, Jr., says captures his mother to perfection. “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my Mother.”
But James, like Weeta’s husband of sixty years, James Arthur, Sr., and many of their friends, had to forgive her for one thing: her frozen green salad, which all approached with silent trepidation at holidays. Where Weeta, who adored giving dinner parties, loved the salad, her guests would gently move it around their plates, hoping it might disappear. She was also infamous for rearranging furniture when visiting relatives, only to have the pieces returned to their original locations upon her departure.
Loved a good laugh
But Weeta was a marvelous raconteur who loved a good laugh, especially at her expense.
Born April 22, 1923, in Waycross, GA to Nolan W. Lang, Jr., a businessman, and his wife Virginia, a homemaker, Weeta was one of three children. Like her two brothers, Nolan and Robert, she graduated from Waycross High School. Moving to Atlanta, she began a five-decade career with Southern Bell Telephone and BellSouth Telecommunications (now AT&T). Starting as a teenage customer service representative in 1947, she retired in 1985—a highly respected and honored employee. One of her early jobs was to teach telephone executives how to use those “newfangled” PCs.
But the phone company bestowed something far more valuable than a career. It came in the form of James Arthur Adams, the love of her life. After a two-year courtship, they married on December 19, 1955. They celebrated their 60th Anniversary just days before Arthur died, on December 23, 2015.
Her chief priority in life
Aside from her deep love for God and her husband, Weeta’s chief priority in life was the personal growth and well-being of her only child, James Arthur Adams, Jr. After a long day at work, she eagerly stayed up to make sure Jimmy finished his schoolwork and was prepared for the next day’s responsibilities. When her son would attempt to challenge her decisions, she admonished him with the tongue-in-cheek reminder that she was ” never wrong, and seldom in doubt!”
Ironing her favorite therapy when coping with stress, she routinely spent her vacations painting the house, which helped sooth her admitted OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
Elated when Jim met and married Laurie Adams, Weeta and Arthur were over the moon when grandchildren, Mason and Caroline, came along.
One of their greatest sorrows came upon the untimely and tragic death of their adored daughter-in-law, Laurie. Without a single hesitation, Weeta stepped in to help her son raise and nurture her grandkids. Loving and selfless as always, she took immense pride in being the very first in line to pick-up Mason and Caroline at Westminster School, Buckhead Baseball, Top Hat Soccer, Atlanta Ballet or Gymnastics. She and Arthur were remarkable influences in the development of the children’s faith and character.
Philanthropy and Church
A longtime member of the Telephone Pioneers of America (TPA), Weeta volunteered hundreds of hours to the service organization, founded in 1911, that offered such things as talking books for the visually impaired, PCs for schools, and teddy bears and pillows for those recovering from surgery or trauma.
Residents of Vinings, GA for sixty years, Weeta and Arthur were among the first members of Northside United Methodist Church. Many of their dearest friends were fellow members of the Northside Bible Sunday School Class, as well as Telephone Pioneers of America. Weeta also volunteered for and helped create and lead the Vinings Pacemakers Club.
In later years, when Weeta struggled with both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, her grandson Mason was diligently attentive and caring. He visited her at least every other day and, when at all possible, he brought her medicines and her beloved milkshakes and sat with her for hours.
So many express son James Adam’s beautiful farewell: “I miss you so much, Mom,” he said. “May God bless your sweet soul.”
Her lasting legacies
Preceded in death by her devoted husband, James Arthur Adams, Sr.; her brother, Nolan W. Lang, Jr., and her much beloved daughter-in-law, Laurie Felvey Adams, Weeta is survived by her only child, James Arthur Adams, Jr. and his children—her most important and lasting legacies—Mason Connor Adams and Carolina Lee Adams. In addition, she is survived by her adored brother, Robert G. Lang, and sisters-in-law, Carey B. Adams and Martha Lang-Johnson, as well as nieces and nephews: Nolan Lang, Gary Lang, Claude Lang, Phyl Simmons, Jerry Withers and several cousins and great-nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank Rozella Jett and Anyssa Bishop for their kind and attentive care of Weeta. The family is especially indebted to our angel, Gigi Manuel, for her loving friendship, and extraordinary and selfless care of both Weeta and Arthur for the past three years.
A memorial service, led by The Reverend Dr. Gil Watson, a much respected and beloved friend, will take place 11 am, on Thursday, May 19, at the Chapel of Northside United Church. There will be a private family consecration of her ashes at a later date; Cremation Society of GA is handling the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, our appreciative family requests that memorial gifts be made to Shepherd’s Fund, Northside Methodist Church, 2799 Northside Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30305.