Quinn W. Langenkamp

Also known as:

Q. W., The Mighty Quinn, Muskrat Man and Tar Baby

(Life Commentary given by Bruce Langenkamp)

I hope that Dad is somewhere out riding on Golda, spinning a rope and frolicking around with his siblings, Bob Langenkamp, Fred Langenkamp, Gene Langenkamp, Ed Langenkamp, Art “Sonny” Langenkamp, Martha Roeyer and Leslie Secora who have preceded him in death, as well as his mother and father, Fred C. Langenkamp and Martha Hazel Morrison. Dad liked to write eulogies for friends and relatives who passed away. Now is my turn. Dad and his siblings were brought up on a farm where they all learned the meaning of hard work. During the Depression, although the family was not well-off, they still had enough to assist neighbors and friends who were more in need. Dad learned how it felt to help others and he donated much of his monies to charities like Habitat for Humanity. Dad also set up many College Trust Funds for relatives, some whom he had never seen from Texas and Oklahoma. His instructions for any funds remaining in his checking account were to be donated to charity. Dad had a fascination for Railroading. He told us how he would like to be like the Hobos and just hop on a freight train and take it where it went. I am sure he envied his brother, Bob who, with his wife, Mimi, would book fare on a tramp steamer boat to the Far East, although maybe boating wasn’t high on the list after being inducted into the Army and taking a “cruise” to occupy Japan in the post-war years. Dad worked his way through college with very little financial assistance. He then got a job as a teaching assistant at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. He taught Electrical Engineering and told us how his students chided him, when he mistakenly plugged his phonograph into DC (Direct Current) power instead of AC (Alternating Current). The phonograph motor caught on fire and he had to toss the whole thing out. Mom, Jean was homesick for New Jersey and her relatives there, so Dad switched jobs to Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill. Although he didn’t work on the project, Bell Labs is famous for the invention of the transistor. Dad somehow got a hold of some telephone equipment from Bell Labs and he brought it home. We kids had a battery powered communication system between bedrooms in the house. Instead of ringing, we would jiggle the battery connection to make the earphone crackle. That was the signal to pick up and talk. Dad’s last job was at Picatinny Arsenal where the retirement requirements were age 60 with 20 years of service. He couldn’t wait and retired in 1980 and as far as I know, only went back once and that was to try to find a contact for a disadvantaged kid to tutor and sponsor an education. Although that sponsorship didn’t happen, Dad later did find a family in need. He bought a house and only charged enough rent to cover expenses. Dad’s lasting accomplishment was the house that he built on Raccoon Island. He laughed that the project would never be finished. There was always an addition of a rock bench or something. He could never look at a piece of scrap metal without imagining that it could be fixed up to decorate or be functional in his Castle. Dad’s final days in Florida were spent with his wonderful wife, Noelle. Their yard has homemade structures that Dad was proud of: a Bridge to Nowhere, a storm-proof shed constructed to Florida standards, etc. After a hospital stay of less than a week, Dad was gone. He will leave to forever cherish his memories his wife, Noelle Froehlich; his children, Janet Hetzler, Bruce Langenkamp, Joyce Langenkamp Schwalm and her husband, Richard Schwalm and Sutushti Lang; and his grandchildren, Jonathan and Jeannette Schwalm. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. The family has suggested donations to the Habitat for Humanity, 6758 North Military Trail, Suite 301, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407 in honor of Quinn William Langenkamp. Online Condolences can be left at: www.mizellfavillezern.com