Fred Langdon

1940 – September 1, 2024

A Nevada County legend, Fred Langdon, rancher, logger, truck driver, miner, and construction worker died Sunday, September 1, 2024, at age 84 of natural causes.

Fred is survived by his wife, Patty, son Tony, stepson Matt Kelly, and brothers David, Richard, John, and Bob Reader. He was predeceased by his brother James Langdon.

Fred was born to Yolanda and Fred Langdon in 1940. Fred senior died when Fred was 8, and Yolanda remarried to Francis Reader and eventually they built a house and raised 6 boys on the Reader Ranch.

Fred became quite adept at a young age at ranching and eventually managed a herd of cattle of his own. He shoed horses, mowed hay, built barns, branded calves, broke horses and was well known for the cattle drives from high country down Highway 49 to the Reader Ranch. He often put horse and wagon entries in local parades.

Fred loved deer hunting and did so well into his 70's. Many remember him fondly as the life of the party, opinionated, helper of friends in need, local historian, and a lover of all things cowboy. Some might say he should have been born 100 years earlier.

A recitation of the Rosary will begin at 10:15 am. Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 235 Chapel Street, Grass Valley. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 am. Committal Services will conclude at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery at 12:30.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of Hooper & Weaver Mortuary.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Union on Sep. 7, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Fred Langdon

Sponsored by Hooper & Weaver Mortuary.

9 Entries

Kevin Collins

September 18, 2024

Very early in my truck driving career I was hauling lumber out of Sierra Mountain Mills with Fred, who was driving his John Graham Kenworth. We were both just outside of Auburn headed back for another load when he caught me from behind just before the Highway 49 off-ramp on I-80, which is what I always took to get back north. Fred, on the other hand, would run up to Bell Road and take it to avoid traffic, I guess.
Well, the way it worked out, just as I was passing Bell Road guess who was waiting at the signal as I went through the intersection? You guessed it, it was Fred. As I went by him, I looked over at him and smiled. I couldn't help myself.

I knew what was coming next. Before we left town here comes Fred. He wasn't about to let this young whelp show him up. As he went by I looked over at him, smiled and waved. My day was complete.

I always enjoyed being around Fred, and seeing his old Chevy pickup with the stock rack and his cow pony loaded in back was always a treat.

God bless you, Fred. You were one of a kind.

Linda (Sauer) Chambers

September 10, 2024

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived. Known since small child, RIP Fred, also his brothers God Bless You all and help you through this time.

marge kaiser

September 10, 2024

Freddy never thought much of my Master's degree in Psychology, but when I made him a homemade wild gooseberry pie, he said," By damn, woman, you're worth something after all."
Best compliment I ever got. And he didn't give out many. He will be greatly missed. He truly is a legend. Love to him and all the family. Marge Kaiser

Cousin Greg Watkins

September 9, 2024

My cousin Freddy was five years my senior. Those who knew Fred will never forget the impact he had on their lives. He was an exceptional storyteller and a joy to be around, with an unparalleled knowledge of Nevada County. His work ethic was remarkable.
Fred played a crucial role in maintaining and operating the Reader Ranch. He learned hard rock tunnel boring from Francis and Uncle Merrill King, when they blasted 5 feet at a shot, through the granite rock outcrop to eliminate a hundred feet of precarious & high irrigation ditch flume. Fred enlarged the hay fields and kept the water flowing to irrigate the ranch.
Every spring, Fred installed a wooden plank dam in Shady Creek for irrigation purposes. He meticulously rebuilt and maintained all the ranch gates, keeping them pristine and white. Fred also renovated the Reader home's foundation and rebuilt the wooden porch deck. He dutifully kept the woodshed stocked for our grandparents, Frank and Sarah Reader, and later for Aunt Eunice until her passing in approximately 1995.
Around 1962, Fred dropped a Corvette engine and 4-speed transmission into his 1958 Chevy Impala . He never got around to changing the rear end ratio which was stock for an automatic transmission. Thus, after slipping the clutch in 1st gear, he could still be in 3rd gear at 100 mph on the straight stretch heading home from Peterson's corner.
When I was about 18 and Fred 21, he offered me my first beer at his parents' home. Finding it unpalatable, he added tomato juice, but I still disliked it. On one occasionally we double-dated two girls from Walnut Creek who were spending the summer on the Middle Fork. Fred was well-known among the attractive young women in Nevada County during the 1960s.
A few years later, while I was driving my Super Bee as a rear flagman behind a herd of cattle near French Corral, Fred demonstrated his charm. He rode up on his horse and offered a ride to a young woman in a sports car stuck behind the herd of cows. Much to her boyfriend's dismay, she quickly accepted, and hanging on behind Fred as they went off at a gallop. Some time later Fred returned the gal to a fuming boy friend. Fred looked down from his horse and calmly remarked, "You know, the cowboy always gets the girl."
May his soul find eternal peace in Christ.
Greg Watkins

Annabelle O´Dell Robbins.

September 9, 2024

Fred was a great guy. I was raised on property next door to the Reader ranch. We rode the school bus together for years. He will be missed!

JANET MILHOUS

September 9, 2024

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

Annabelle O´Dell Robbins

September 8, 2024

A great guy gone way too soon!

Shannon Butler Ventuleth

September 8, 2024

Fred was one of my cousins who was much older than me. When I was a kid he teased me mercilessly, but he would let me play in his buggy in the barn whenever I visited the ranch. As I got older I would see him often at the ranch helping our Aunt Eunice. At that stage he was fun to banter with and I enjoyed his sense of humor. Fred taught me to sit a horse but I was allergic and he never let me forget it. So many memories of him as I grew up. He was such a part of the ranch I cannot imagine it without him.

Alan Hendrickson

September 7, 2024

I'll never forget his truck in front of the Brass Rail with his horse in the back of it. His was under saddle and waiting patiently. I bought lumber from him and he showed me his wagons he built. A true cowboy he will be missed.

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