Rev. John Langehough

John Olaf Langehough was born May 5, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Olaf and Hazel (Moline) Langehough. He was raised in St. Ansgar, Iowa, where his father was pastor at First Lutheran Church. He was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran and graduated from St. Ansgar High School in 1945. He attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, for one year before enlisting in the US Navy. Following his discharge he returned to St. Olaf where he received his B.A. in Chemistry. In 1951 he entered Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his internship in California he met and married Eyvonne Hoff, a school teacher from Sacred Heart, Minnesota. They married on April 9, 1954, at First Lutheran Church in Northridge, California, where he interned and she taught school. John was ordained in August 1955, entering the Air Force Chaplain for 3 years. Following his discharge in 1958 he accepted a call to First Lutheran Church in Dows, Iowa. In December 1966 he became pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Lemmon, South Dakota, serving there until 1983. During that time he remained active in the US Air Force Reserve, retiring after 20 years as a Lt. Colonel. Following Lemmon, he served as pastor of the Greater Malta Lutheran Parish in Malta, Montana, until moving to Aneta, North Dakota, in1988, where he served as pastor at Sundahl Lutheran Church, until his retirement in 1991. Following retirement he and Eyvonne returned to Lemmon, where John continued his ministry doing pulpit supply for various churches in Western North and South Dakota. In 2005 they became permanent residents of Sun City, Arizona.

John was a member of American Lutheran Church, Torske Klubben, Sun City Host Lions Club, Military Order of the World Wars and Military Officers Association of America. He served as a Hospital Corpsman in the USN, as chaplain in the USAF and was a Red Cross volunteer for many years at Luke AFB. In Lemmon, he served as president and on the original Live Center Board, Lemmon School Board, Five Counties Hospital Board and was one of the founders of Professional Consultations. In Malta, he was president and served on the board of Malta Opportunities, as well as the Montana Developmental Disabled Regional Board. John achieved the rank of Eagle Scout Order of the Arrow. He enjoyed reading and crosswords. His favorite pastime was fishing with his best friend Ron.

John passed away unexpectedly on Saturday evening, March 15, 2008, at Boswell Memorial Hospital in Sun City, at the age of 79.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Eyvonne; 5 children and their spouses: Chaplain (LTC) Steve and Bridget of Fayetteville, Georgia, Michelle and Tim Kreps of Rochester, Minnesota, Mark and Sheri of Bozeman, Montana, Jane and Jeff Oelfke of Edina, Minnesota, Andy and Suzanne of Northfield, Minnesota; and 13 grandchildren: Mason, Ashton, Hannah, Jerry, Holly, Devon (Josh), Shea, Megan, Katie, Beth, Leigh, Rachel and Dan. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Mary.

Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M. Friday, March 21, 2008, at Thomson-Dougherty Funeral Home in Minneapolis with Chaplain Steve Langehough officiating. Interment with military honors will be at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Casket bearers will be his family. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service. A memorial service will be held at a later date at American Lutheran Church in Sun City.

Memorials are preferred to Calvary Lutheran Church, 303 - 2nd Ave W., Lemmon, SD 57638 (his longest parish), Sundahl Lutheran Church, Aneta, ND 58212, or the donor’s choice.

Arrangements are with the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home.