Eugene Francis Langley, Jr. “Gene” 91, formerly of Martinsburg, West Virginia passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on July 10, 2021 at Hospice of St. Mary’s in Callaway, Maryland. He was born on December 22, 1929 in Capitol Heights, Maryland to Eugene Langley, Sr. and Florence Langley.
After he completed his education, in 1951, he was called upon by the United States Army and he was deployed to Korea to assist the US during the Korean War. While stationed in Korea, Private 1 st Class Eugene Langley, Jr. was a cook and prepared three meals a day for the troops, from February 1952—November 1953. If you ever asked him about his service, he would tell you he prepared meals for at least 5,000 men each day, peeled hundreds of pounds of potatoes, and he hasn’t eaten a single grain of rice since he returned home.
When he returned home from the war, he worked in D.C. in management at a department store called the Hecht Company, where he met and fell in love with one of his employees, Thelma Martin. It wasn’t long after meeting Thelma, before he realized that she was the one for him and he married her on January 26, 1957 in Hyattsville, Maryland. Soon after, they began their family and raised their family of six in College Park, Maryland.
Gene provided for his family the best way he knew how through hard work and dedication. He worked at a variety of retail stores before “retiring” and moving to Martinsburg, West Virginia. He wasn’t one who could just sit around and do nothing, so he found work doing what he loved, “working with people” in retail. In his later years, he worked for Hallmark greeting cards, putting up and taking down card displays.
With Thelma’s health declining, they decided to move back to Maryland to be closer to their family. Gene and Thelma were married for 58 wonderful years before she passed in 2015. At that time, he was living at Cedar Lane Senior Living or “the compound” as he called it, and he absolutely loved his apartment. He had many friends there and enjoyed a very active lifestyle. In 2020, he decided to become a “traveling man,” and visited with all of his children and their families where he enjoyed working puzzles, playing Rummikub, and watching westerns: until his death.
Gene was a dedicated and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his children Alvin “Butch” Langley of North Carolina, Patty (Bob) Miller of Piney Point, Maryland, Tina Simms of Lusby, Maryland, Tammy (John) Bell of Beltsville, Maryland, Kelly (Kenny) Anderson of Elkridge, Maryland, and Gene (Terri) Langley of Berkley Springs, West Virginia; sixteen grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; a brother Alvin Langley of Florida and a sister Genevieve Huff of Florida. Gene was preceded in death by his father Eugene Langley, Sr., his mother Florence Langley, his wife Thelma Langley, seven siblings, and his son-in-law Mickey Simms.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, July 31, 2021 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., with a Funeral Service at 1:00 p.m., at Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Eugene’s honor to Hospice of St. Mary’s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
