John Harrison Langford

John Harrison Langford (also known as Harry), 87, of Houston, Texas passed away peacefully with his family by his side on May 26, 2025.

John was born in Hoschton, Georgia on September 1, 1937, to John Eldridge Langford and Averee Berryman Langford. From the beginning Harry, as he was known to family and friends, had an adventurous and mischievous approach to life. Stories abound chronicling his hijinks in and around northeastern Georgia.

He attended Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia and as a senior he met the love of his life, Miss Carrie Annette Bentley. Their courtship began when the confident Harry made it a regular practice of offering Dentyne gum (his calling card) to Ann. It worked! They spent the remaining 70 years together. After graduation in 1955 Harry went on to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology. Fearing he would not graduate if he continued traveling back and forth from Atlanta to Winder to see Ann, he proposed. And in 1956, soon after Ann graduated, they were married.

He received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering in 1959 and accepted an offer to work for NASA. From that point on Harry became known by his first name John. John and Ann made their life in Newport News, Virginia as he worked at NASA Langley. He worked on the Mercury Program in structural analysis and flight control. During this time their first child Anita was born in 1961. He served as Capsule Communicator at several remote tracking stations around the world and was CAPCOM in Zanzibar for John Glenn's first manned orbital flight.

In 1962, the family moved to Houston when NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center was being developed. Not long after that their son Mark was born in 1963. John worked in the Apollo Program on the lunar module and lunar surface equipment, crew training, and mission support. During the Shuttle era he worked on many hardware development projects and served in branch and division management. While serving as the Chief of Life Sciences Project Division he was responsible for the NASA Life Sciences Flight Program. John was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1991 and retired from NASA in 1993.

John loved his family and being a dad. He also loved fishing and hunting. The family spent a lot of time together out on the boat fishing in Galveston Bay or a local lake, tent camping, and eventually camping in a motorhome. He cherished his role as a grandfather, like he had been promoted! John "Grandad" was a pivotal figure in both Katlyn and Travis' lives. John and Ann spent many years caravaning with their friends on great motorhome adventures all around the US and Canada. And whenever the grandkids were out of school they went too!

John will always be remembered for his unconditional love and his generous spirit. He extended acceptance and compassion to everyone he met. He loved being asked to help with a problem of any kind and could produce a tool or a solution for just about anything. He lived each day fully, leaving nothing unsaid, and we are each living as better versions of ourselves for having been loved by him.

John is survived by his wife of 68 years, Annette Bentley Langford; his brother Richard Gary Langford (Brenda); and his children Anita Langford Hrabal and Mark Alan Langford (Suzanne). His beloved grandchildren are Katlyn Dodson Westerlage (Eric) and Travis Alan Dodson (Melissa). John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Jerry Allen Langford.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Clear Lake Presbyterian Church (1511 El Dorado Blvd, Houston, TX 77062), Rev. Dr. Steve Oglesbee officiating. A reception to celebrate his life will follow nearby.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated teams at the Reunion Court of Clear Lake, and Essential Hospice for their compassionate care and support of John.

In lieu of flowers, memorials or donations may be made to the Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, or the Dementia Society of America.