Samson "Sam" Theodore Langley

Sam Langley was born April 15, 1934, at Pigeon Roost, southwest of Watts, Oklahoma, to George Jefferson and Annie Elizabeth Hemman Langley. Sam passed from this life Saturday morning, October 4, at 91 ½ years. At age 3, his family moved to Jaybird farm ½ mile south of Jaybird Church. They moved again on October 28, 1937, one-half mile north of Goat Ridge School, also known as Pleasant Hill School. Sam spent all his grade school years at Goat Ridge School and graduated from 8th grade on May 9, 1947, then attended high school at Westville.

As a child, Sam was not afraid of work. His parents had a small dairy on which he did his chores, helped neighbors, and picked strawberries, beans, and cotton, racing neighbors to see who could pick more quarts of strawberries or pounds of cotton or beans.

When Sam was only four years old, his parents, along with other Langley relatives, began building Jaybird Church, sawmilling all the original lumber themselves. Services began there the following year when he was five, making Sam the longest-serving member and only original member left, attending 86 ½ years. In addition to serving as a deacon since he was 24 at Jaybird, he served on the advisory board of Independent Assemblies Fellowship and the Cornerstone Theological Seminary in Lexington, OK.

Sam served on the Westville Public School Board for 20 years (1970–1990). From this position he had the privilege of handing each of his six children their diplomas.

On September 10, 1951, Sam married the love of his life, Katie Ruth Brown, whom he set eyes on when he was 13 years old. In 1953 they purchased their permanent home and 40 acres. Many acres were added through the years to comprise the Langley Farm. They had a dairy for 50 years, but one job was never enough for Sam.

He originally also hauled canned milk, later bulk milk routes, and baled hay for neighbors; he worked on equipment and trucks. In the early 1960s, he began spreading lime for many of our local farms in both Oklahoma and Arkansas and ran a gas station and tire and muffler shop. In the ‘80s he began hauling bulk dairy feed all over NE Oklahoma, which led to purchasing a farm store and mill, known now and still open for business as Langley Feeds, here in town. He would have never stopped working if health issues had not forced him to. He was still driving the semi-truck at 85.

Preceding him in death were his parents, George & Annie Langley; wife, Katie Ruth Brown Langley; son, Melvin Langley; son-in-law, Jerry Stice; daughter-in-law, Judy Ann Beck Langley; grandson, Jonathan Langley; and great-great grandson Jeremy Stice.

Survivors include son, Paul Langley; daughter, Gail Stice; son, Tim Langley (Lynne); son, Marvin Langley (Glenda), all of Westville, OK; daughter-in-law, Charity Langley Cramer (Adam) of Siloam Springs, AR; and daughter, LaFern Langley Rose (Terry); grandchildren Zack (Kristyn) Langley, Delilah Williamson, Timara (Eric) Andersen, Keturah (Randy) Masters, Nathan (Martha) Langley, Nicolas (Sonya) Stice, Rusty Langley, Charity (Donnie) Sorrells, Philip (Hannah) Stice, Michaela Langley, Jordan (Leah) Johnson, and Hannah Langley; 28 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild and one on the way.