Rest in Peace, Larry Langdon

[forgedinfire123]

In case folks haven't heard, Larry Passed away today

[Kevin Olson]

RIP Larry

[Glenn]

Our condolences to family and friends.

 

Larry Langdon’s shop was Monster Metal in Auburn Washington,

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Thanks for the clarification. The name rang a bell but I couldn't place the forum handle with it.

Any word as to how? As I recall he was not that old.

 

[SLAG]

Marg & I,

Extend empathy and condolences to all the Langdon friends and family.

Also, all the personnel at Monster Metal and Quick and Dirty Tools.

May his memory and legacy live on.

SLAG.

[arkie]

RIP Larry. Condolences to his family. One of the first set of tongs I had ever bought were from him when they started Q&D. I will cherish them for sure.

 

[jeremy k]

I haven't been able to find the obituary - is it the Larry that had Monster Metal for sure?

 

[JHCC]

May his memory be eternal. 

[Frosty]

This is hard news. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Larry, see you on the flip side, I hope.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Prayers for his family and friends. 

[Glenn]

Langdon Ironworks has closed. We lost a great blacksmith, person and brother. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Lonny L. Langdon

[dimenickel]

Larry was a great guy !  this is upsetting news

rest in peace bros

[jeremy k]

Sorry to hear that this is true, the times I talked with him on the phone, he was very friendly and helpful.

[JNewman]

Very sorry to hear this.  I always enjoyed reading his posts here. 

[JME1149]

From his obit

Larry Lee Langdon, passed away May 31, 2018 in Buhl, he was 47 years old.  
A memorial service to remember Larry's life is being planned for Friday, June 22, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.. The service will be held at the Flag Display at the West End Cemetery in Buhl.  
A full obituary will be added soon.

[Gergely]

Very sorry to hear about it. May he rest in peace!

G

[jwilson645]

Didn't his shop burn down a couple of years ago? I didn't know him but condolences to the family and friends that did. 

[Frosty]

Yes, "Monster Metal" burned to the ground Oct. 20, 2015. I believe Larry was a fire fighter with the local volunteer FD AND a certified EMT at the time.

No I'm not that close I exercised my YahooFu.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Steve Sells]

Larry will be missed

[billyO]

To all those who want to pray for Larry and family,  please pray that the pain that they are going through is eased.  I don't think I'm at liberty to disclose how he died, but if you believe in this, please pray that he has relief from his suffering and that it doesn't extend into his next incarnation.

 

as always

peace and love

billyO

 

[Steve Sells]

Obituary reprint

 

Larry Lee Langdon, 47, of Buhl, lost his struggle with depression on May 31, 2018 in Buhl, Idaho, among the tools of his trade.

Larry was born April 30, 1971 in Twin Falls, Idaho to Lauren and Judy Langdon.  Larry was always bright, compassionate and adorable. His smile would melt your heart.  He was raised in Buhl and by his late teens, pretty much everyone there knew him or of him. He excelled in school, made many friends who still talk about his antics, and in fact graduated with honors in 1989 (even though his attendance was not the best). He was kind to all but didn‘t “suffer fools“. Anyone he met, from the famous Jesse James, who he modeled himself and business after, and later met and became friends with, to a bum on the street, connected with him. He could talk to anyone and find common ground, give them sound advice and become friends.

From an early age, he worked with and learned the metal business from his Dad. When it came to anything computers, he was the “go-to” guy before they were even cool. Larry was an avid reader who devoured knowledge then spewed it out to anyone who wanted to listen. His writing was prolific and in depth. He shared his innermost feelings, fears, demons and wisdom in hopes he could help someone. It didn’t matter if it was politics, economics, tools, blacksmithing or saving a suffering addict, he knew how to find a solution, answer a question, and check back to see if it helped. People would often seek him out for his help and advice. He loved quotes and had one or more for every situation. "Whatever you are, be a good one." By Abraham Lincoln - was one of his favorites.
　
He was a typical big brother to Lonny, Lynn and Casey, always ready to set them straight.  He was fiercely protective of each of them. He loved them equally even when they disagreed and they each looked up to him for guidance.. They have always had each other’s backs and he helped them any way he could. His presence in their lives will be dearly missed.

On 3/8/92, his first son, Andrew was born in Seattle, to Amy Crowley. Although he wasn’t physically present in Andrew’s early years, Larry wanted a relationship with him and always tried to help them both anyway he could. After he got to Seadrunar, he finally became a father Andrew needed. We lost Andrew 8/11/11 and Larry was never the same. He hated the number 11 after that. Andrew’s puppy, Sadie was raised at their shop, so she became Larry’s constant companion and fit right in with fur sisters Roxie and Lily, visiting often with Andrew’s little brother, Aiden.

In 1992, he married Amber Lehman. They had two sons; Loren was born on 7/10/93 and Landon on 2/03/95. Landon and wife Ashley, couldn’t wait for him to meet his new grand daughter coming this September. We will all make sure she knows what a wonderful Grandpa he would have been.

In 2004, he married Bonnie Ortiz. He was the love of her life. She was his rock for 15 years. They were perfect for each other. They recently divorced but remained friends.  At the time of his death he had been married to Denim West-Langdon for just 5 weeks.

Drug use and criminal behaviors led to stints in county jail, prison and more than a year in rehab in Seattle. Larry chose to become sober in 1997 and successfully stayed that way for over 20 years, a rare accomplishment for many afflicted with addiction. They asked him to stay on as a counselor which he did for another year. When his little brother needed help, he expedited his admittance to get him treatment. After leaving there in 2002, he got a job at Pacific Industrial in Seattle and was shocked when he was offered the position of Manager after a very short time. He was forever grateful to his bosses , Howard Brown and Lee Frazier, for the opportunity they gave him. During this time, he started taking knife making classes from David Lish. After just a few classes he decided he wanted to start working with metal again. Shortly after, he struck out on his own and opened Monster Metal, a successful blacksmith and metal fabrication business in Auburn, Washington. His artistic talent in the field is legendary in the metalworking community. He created many intricate, beautiful and functional works of art, railings, gates and more with his amazing skills. Much of his work is still on display in many downtown Seattle businesses and homes and will be appreciated for probably hundreds of years to come.

In October of 2015, a massive fire that raged for over 12 hours, destroyed his business. It was a miracle that he and Sadie got out in time. For over a year, Larry had to sift through the ashes and make a detailed inventory of his losses. After the insurance got settled, he decided to move back to Buhl to take over and re-invent the Family Business. Langdon Ironworks was born. After the winter of 2016, and helping the community dig out, he had a calling to became more involved in some way to keep his home town alive. He jumped at the opportunity to join the Buhl Fire Department as a volunteer fireman and as usual gave it 110%. This in turn led to becoming an Advanced EMT. He was never happier than when he was helping someone. He called himself an “empath” because he felt others pain so deeply. It seemed like everything was falling into place but his
self-described monsters in his head could not let him go. The monsters tattooed on the backs of his hands represented Addiction and Depression, his two personal demons.
It is evident that the behavior that others thought was a mid-life crisis was much more destructive.

In his final Face book post he wrote:   “Years ago when I had lost everything I had the hope that external things would fix that emptiness…I achieved all those external things and feel as empty as ever.”

Larry was a crusader for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. Probably because he knew it too well. For those who never knew his truth and may not like to hear it, I think Larry would like to set you down if he could, educate and advise you. For anyone whose life he impacted, he would expect you to carry on the fight.
From an early age, he struggled with depression. He fought the good fight but it finally took his life.  Larry we pray you found peace and are with Andrew smiling down on us all, happy at last.  

You will be greatly missed…..more than you could ever imagine.

[Hans Richter]

Steve, thanks for this detailed explanation, and the (partly very sad) story of his live. I’ m part of the same generation and realise ones more how important it is to enjoy every day (if possible).

Rest in peace Larry, my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

[jwilson645]

WOW, such a heart wrenching obituary. 

[mpc]

I was searching for another thread when I happened upon this one. I thought I’d share something in case anybody is still following.

Larry was a friend of a friend. I never met him but after he passed I heard about his life and work from my friend. I also heard that Lonny was going to sell off most of his shop. 

I went to the auction and was discouraged to see the number of bidders and the kind of money they were throwing around. I hoped to find an anvil and had my eye on one particular anvil but when the bidding started it quickly became clear that I was out of my league.

Then, by a small twist of fate and a bit of luck, I ended up buying the very last anvil. And, it was the same anvil I had been looking at from the start. 

I initially felt a little dirty about the idea of buying someone’s things after a such a tragic loss. But, my friend told me that Larry would have liked the idea that a new smith got his anvil. He wouldn’t have wanted it to end up in some lady’s garden. 

So... If you ever visit my garage, there’s a little bit of Larry there. I think about that every once in a while when I’m working.