Langham, Don
LANGHAM, Don Judge Don A. Langham, 90, died May 11, 2021, of natural causes, at home in Alpharetta. Born August 23, 1930 in Owosso, Michigan, Don graduated from Michigan State University in 1952. He met Marian Ball in college and they married in December of their senior years. After serving 2 years in Korea as a lieutenant in the Army, he worked for the Ford Motor Company, while taking classes at night to earn his law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. He continued to work for Ford after moving to Buffalo, New York.
Don moved to Atlanta in 1967 to work in the legal department of Lockheed. He left Lockheed to serve in the Attorney General's office, ultimately becoming Assistant Attorney General for Arthur Bolton.
In 1981, he was appointed by Gov. Busbee to a judgeship vacancy in the Fulton County State Court. At the next election cycle, he ran for the position and won. In 1985, he was appointed by Gov. Joe Frank Harris to the Fulton County Superior Court and served on this court until his retirement in 2005. In 2000, Don was awarded the Logan E. Beckley Distinguished Service Award from the Atlanta Bar Association.
Don and the love of his life, Marian, were married for 66 years, until her death in 2017. They had 4 children who were close enough in age to be treated as a unit. When it was time for meals or chores, they were summoned by their father as "PeterDavidMarciaBarbara!" This family of 6 loved to camp, fish, water ski, and generally just have fun together. They were known to all fit into a VW Bug (plus the family dog!) to drive up to Lake Lanier. Their favorite destination for family vacations was St. George Island, FL. Don was Scout Master for the twins' Boy Scout troop.
In addition to spending time with his family, Don enjoyed snow skiing and hiking. For a time, he had responsibility for the upkeep of a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Also, he was a founding member of the Northwest Unitarian Church.
As Don neared retirement age, he transitioned to serving as a Senior Judge. He would be loaned out to other counties to fill in for vacationing judges or to fill temporary vacancies. He and Marian bought a camper and they managed to do a lot of camping this way, combining work and pleasure, throughout Georgia. They also traveled all over the United States in their camper.
After the death of his beloved Marian, Don moved to a senior community where he lived an active and independent life. He made many friends, in particular, Barbara Penn. He is also survived by, and will be greatly missed by, his children Peter (Nancy), David (Lauri), Marcia, and Barbara (Frank), his niece, Sue Oole, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
The family extends sincere gratitude to Adoun Koudadje and her team of loving caregivers who helped tend to Don in the last months of his life.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.
Donations can be made to a charity of your choice in honor of Don's life.
