Obituary for William Wade Langan
William W. Langan died on January 2, 2021 after a long battle with dementia at the Bridges of Warwick, Jamison, PA. He was 80 years old. He is survived by his wife, Judith Peterson Langan of Doylestown, & daughters Kelly VanValkenburgh of Quakertown and Elizabeth “Betsy” Langan of Clermont, Florida, and grandsons Tyler VanValkenburgh of Hatfield and Wade VanValkenburgh of Lansdale. Services will be held at a later date.
He is also survived by his sister, Anna Mary and husband Randall Mooney of New Castle, PA, where she & her brother were raised. Their father was the J.C. Penny store manager, hence Bill’s first job. He also worked at a munitions factory and for a construction company---both of which enabled him to tell scary stories (i.e accidentally dumping a load of hot asphalt on the steepest hill in town.)
He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH and Princeton University, majoring in Politics. A Princeton entrepreneur hired him to work at H.M. Hillman, a non-ferrous metals distributor. He ended up shortly going into competition, founding Marmetal Industries in Horsham. He went on to found four start-up companies for metal distribution or fabricating, which necessitated international travel and included supplying nuclear submarine manufacturers.
He and Judy were married for 58 years. Religion became very important in their lives…first at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jamison, where Bill was a youth group leader & Sunday school teacher. A Redeemer highlight was chaperoning at Bear Creek Camp when bats invaded the girls’ cabin. Bill was captured on film herding bats amidst mass hysteria. He also did several tubing trips down the Delaware, herding youth group teens. With a move to Buckingham, his talents were utilized by the Family of God Lutheran Church.
Not fond of sand at the shore or at Doylestown Country Club, he preferred his free time to be at the club. He served as club president & took the club’s finances from the red to black, hiring a new club manager & chef. Upon retirement from Marmetal, with Judy, they took a “holiday cottage” for a month near Killarney, Ireland. Daughters with spouses & children visited, as did friends. They made lifelong friends, including the Manning family from Macroom, Ireland who went on to visit the United States for memorable reunions in Betsy’s home in Key West, Florida and at a Philadelphia Mummers Parade.
In addition to golf, summers filled the house and club pool with children from inner-city New York through the Fresh Air Fund. Judy was the area Fund Representative – problem solving and organizing buses for streams of children to visit host families. Former Fresh Air children are checking in now with condolences as are host families who became friends. Judy served on the New York City Fresh Air Fund Board of Directors for twenty years, under Chairmen Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and Susan Newhouse.
Because of a Princeton alumnus, Bill volunteered to sit on the board of Willow Grove Bank in 1994. They took the bank public with Bill as chairman of the board. He also volunteered for decades with the Fox Chase Cancer Bucks County Board of Associates, serving in many capacities including acting president.
His daughters inherited his industrious capabilities, his sense of humor, and their parents’ dedication to community volunteerism.
Donations in his honor can be made to Fox Chase Cancer Center (BCC/FCCC), 237 Bob White Rd., New Hope, PA 18938, or Family of God Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 362, Buckingham, PA 18912. A Memorial Service for friends and family will be held at a COVID-safe later date.
He is also survived by his sister, Anna Mary and husband Randall Mooney of New Castle, PA, where she & her brother were raised. Their father was the J.C. Penny store manager, hence Bill’s first job. He also worked at a munitions factory and for a construction company---both of which enabled him to tell scary stories (i.e accidentally dumping a load of hot asphalt on the steepest hill in town.)
He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH and Princeton University, majoring in Politics. A Princeton entrepreneur hired him to work at H.M. Hillman, a non-ferrous metals distributor. He ended up shortly going into competition, founding Marmetal Industries in Horsham. He went on to found four start-up companies for metal distribution or fabricating, which necessitated international travel and included supplying nuclear submarine manufacturers.
He and Judy were married for 58 years. Religion became very important in their lives…first at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jamison, where Bill was a youth group leader & Sunday school teacher. A Redeemer highlight was chaperoning at Bear Creek Camp when bats invaded the girls’ cabin. Bill was captured on film herding bats amidst mass hysteria. He also did several tubing trips down the Delaware, herding youth group teens. With a move to Buckingham, his talents were utilized by the Family of God Lutheran Church.
Not fond of sand at the shore or at Doylestown Country Club, he preferred his free time to be at the club. He served as club president & took the club’s finances from the red to black, hiring a new club manager & chef. Upon retirement from Marmetal, with Judy, they took a “holiday cottage” for a month near Killarney, Ireland. Daughters with spouses & children visited, as did friends. They made lifelong friends, including the Manning family from Macroom, Ireland who went on to visit the United States for memorable reunions in Betsy’s home in Key West, Florida and at a Philadelphia Mummers Parade.
In addition to golf, summers filled the house and club pool with children from inner-city New York through the Fresh Air Fund. Judy was the area Fund Representative – problem solving and organizing buses for streams of children to visit host families. Former Fresh Air children are checking in now with condolences as are host families who became friends. Judy served on the New York City Fresh Air Fund Board of Directors for twenty years, under Chairmen Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and Susan Newhouse.
Because of a Princeton alumnus, Bill volunteered to sit on the board of Willow Grove Bank in 1994. They took the bank public with Bill as chairman of the board. He also volunteered for decades with the Fox Chase Cancer Bucks County Board of Associates, serving in many capacities including acting president.
His daughters inherited his industrious capabilities, his sense of humor, and their parents’ dedication to community volunteerism.
Donations in his honor can be made to Fox Chase Cancer Center (BCC/FCCC), 237 Bob White Rd., New Hope, PA 18938, or Family of God Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 362, Buckingham, PA 18912. A Memorial Service for friends and family will be held at a COVID-safe later date.