Gerald Joseph (Jerry) Langan
Jerry Langan departed this life on March 27, 2021 at the age of 86. He was raised in Greeley, Nebraska, and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1952, after which he began teaching in a small country school. He also worked with his father in construction in and around their hometown of Greeley.
He enlisted in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1959, attending training in Chanute AFB, Illinois, with posting as a weather observer at Elmendorf Air Base, Alaska. He was honorably discharged at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where he met his bride-to-be, Margaret Gouger. They were married on April 23, 1960, and celebrated 61 years of marriage which brought four sons -- Jerry Jr. , John, Jeff, and Joe.
He enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he graduated with undergraduate and master’s degrees in education and counseling, and completed advanced studies at the National Training Laboratory in Bethel, Maine; the UCLA Graduate School of Management in Ojai, CA; and with University Associates in San Diego, CA.
He returned to teaching in Carson City, Iowa, where he taught geography, and later accepted a counseling position with the US Job Corps, where he served in Tillamook, Oregon, Washington, DC, and the Job Corps center in Marsing, Idaho. He moved his family to Caldwell in 1971 after being promoted to a position with the Bureau of Reclamation at the Federal Building in Boise, from which he retired in 1993.
His volunteer/community activities included service on the Caldwell City Council for 8 years; a volunteer with the Caldwell Friends of the Depot Committee; CROP Walk (stop hunger); St. Vincent Thrift Store; youth baseball/basketball coach; Boy Scout Master; and an active member of Holy Apostles Catholic Church. In 2008 he was awarded the City of Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award for his generous commitment of time, support, and inspiration, and was particularly committed to the causes of the underserved, the marginalized, and the less fortunate among us. A lifetime democrat, he served as Democratic precinct captain with the Canyon County Democratic Party for 20 years.
Three siblings, and his son Jeffrey preceded him in death; he is survived by his wife Margaret of Caldwell, his younger brother Robert, of Owings, MD; and his sons Jerry (Nick) of Arlington, VA; John (Ann) of Ridgecrest, CA; and Joe (Melissa) of Caldwell, ID.
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