Alfred Langtry, Jr.

On April 11, 2020, Alfred L. Langtry, Jr.—lately of Barrington, Illinois—passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, at age 89.  Al was born on April 3, 1931 in Chicago, the great grandson of C.D. Peacock.  He attended the University of Colorado and, after serving in the Air Force during the cold war, graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in business administration.  He married the late Alice S. Langtry--the love of his life--in 1962, and together they had a family, raising them in Erie and then Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.  For most of his career, Al was a successful building hardware manufacturer’s representative.  At the age 70, he launched a second career, selling his patented exit devices.  Eventually, Al and Alice retired at the Garlands of Barrington in 2012, where they met many wonderful people.

Al leaves behind his children (Marty Thompson, Emilia Langtry, and Alfred L. Langtry III), his sons-in-law (Henry Thompson and Aad van Dam), a daughter-in-law (Jennifer Langtry), seven grandchildren (Maryann Thompson, H.B. Thompson, Tyler Harrison, Leigh van Dam, Taylor Langtry, Ali Langtry, and Macey Langtry), two nephews (Brad Langtry and Walt Langtry), and a sister-in-law (Patsy Langtry).  He also leaves behind many friends and extended family members.

Al was a devoted husband, partnering with Alice through over 50 wonderful years of marriage.  To his kids, he was a great dad--dependable, patient, loving, kind-hearted, and a paragon of integrity.  Until the end, he was a role model to them, remaining unbowed and good-spirited even in the fell clutch of unfortunate circumstance.

Uniformly loved and respected, Al was a consummate gentleman to all. He was a thinker and problem-solver, able to converse with anyone on most any topic, but he particularly enjoyed politics, history, sports, and the stock market.

As a younger man, Al was an accomplished track athlete, a five-time family croquet champion, and a master griller.  If there were an award for the best manicured lawn, he would have been a dynastic champion. Unfortunately, he remained a lousy golfer to his last swing, but he enjoyed every single outing.

Al was a chow-hound.  He loved a good meal, especially one prepared by his favorite chef, Alice, and ideally one topped off by a chocolatey dessert.  He enjoyed a cold beer in the afternoon, a glass of red wine at cocktail hour, a fine cigar, and an occasional cognac and late-night poker game. 

Most of all, he loved spending time with his family, whether it be on the porch at the family cottage in Green Lake,  or on one of the many family vacations to Mexico, Spain, Netherlands, Peru, Florida, and California.  Sadly, he will not make the family trip to Croatia that was planned to celebrate his 90th birthday.

Al was an entrepreneur and an inventor, an adherent to reason and reasonableness, a stoic, a Steeler fan, a family man, a gentleman, and a role model. To his family, he was the best of good men.