Larry Langdon | NWBA Announcements | Forum

Larry Lee Langdon, 47, of Buhl, lost his struggle with depression on May 31, 2018 in Buhl, Idaho, among the tools of his trade.

From an early age, he worked with and learned the metal business from his Dad. When it came to anything computers, he was the “go-to” guy before they were even cool. Larry was an avid reader who devoured knowledge then spewed it out to anyone who wanted to listen. His writing was prolific and in depth. He shared his innermost feelings, fears, demons and wisdom in hopes he could help someone. It didn’t matter if it was politics, economics, tools, blacksmithing or saving a suffering addict, he knew how to find a solution, answer a question, and check back to see if it helped. People would often seek him out for his help and advice. He loved quotes and had one or more for every situation. "Whatever you are, be a good one." By Abraham Lincoln - was one of his favorites.
　
He was a typical big brother to Lonny, Lynn and Casey, always ready to set them straight.  He was fiercely protective of each of them. He loved them equally even when they disagreed and they each looked up to him for guidance.. They have always had each other’s backs and he helped them any way he could. His presence in their lives will be dearly missed.

On 3/8/92, his first son, Andrew was born in Seattle, to Amy Crowley. Although he wasn’t physically present in Andrew’s early years, Larry wanted a relationship with him and always tried to help them both anyway he could. After he got to Seadrunar, he finally became a father Andrew needed. We lost Andrew 8/11/11 and Larry was never the same. He hated the number 11 after that. Andrew’s puppy, Sadie was raised at their shop, so she became Larry’s constant companion and fit right in with fur sisters Roxie and Lily, visiting often with Andrew’s little brother, Aiden.

In 1992, he married Amber Lehman. They had two sons; Loren was born on 7/10/93 and Landon on 2/03/95. Landon and wife Ashley, couldn’t wait for him to meet his new grand daughter coming this September. We will all make sure she knows what a wonderful Grandpa he would have been.

In 2004, he married Bonnie Ortiz. He was the love of her life. She was his rock for 15 years. They were perfect for each other. They recently divorced but remained friends.  At the time of his death he had been married to Denim West-Langdon for just 5 weeks.

Drug use and criminal behaviors led to stints in county jail, prison and more than a year in rehab in Seattle. Larry chose to become sober in 1997 and successfully stayed that way for over 20 years, a rare accomplishment for many afflicted with addiction. They asked him to stay on as a counselor which he did for another year. When his little brother needed help, he expedited his admittance to get him treatment. After leaving there in 2002, he got a job at Pacific Industrial in Seattle and was shocked when he was offered the position of Manager after a very short time. He was forever grateful to his bosses , Howard Brown and Lee Frazier, for the opportunity they gave him. During this time, he started taking knife making classes from David Lish. After just a few classes he decided he wanted to start working with metal again. Shortly after, he struck out on his own and opened Monster Metal, a successful blacksmith and metal fabrication business in Auburn, Washington. His artistic talent in the field is legendary in the metalworking community. He created many intricate, beautiful and functional works of art, railings, gates and more with his amazing skills. Much of his work is still on display in many downtown Seattle businesses and homes and will be appreciated for probably hundreds of years to come.

In October of 2015, a massive fire that raged for over 12 hours, destroyed his business. It was a miracle that he and Sadie got out in time. For over a year, Larry had to sift through the ashes and make a detailed inventory of his losses. After the insurance got settled, he decided to move back to Buhl to take over and re-invent the Family Business. Langdon Ironworks was born. After the winter of 2016, and helping the community dig out, he had a calling to became more involved in some way to keep his home town alive. He jumped at the opportunity to join the Buhl Fire Department as a volunteer fireman and as usual gave it 110%. This in turn led to becoming an Advanced EMT. He was never happier than when he was helping someone. He called himself an “empath” because he felt others pain so deeply. It seemed like everything was falling into place but his
self-described monsters in his head could not let him go. The monsters tattooed on the backs of his hands represented Addiction and Depression, his two personal demons.
It is evident that the behavior that others thought was a mid-life crisis was much more destructive.

In his final Face book post he wrote:   “Years ago when I had lost everything I had the hope that external things would fix that emptiness…I achieved all those external things and feel as empty as ever.”

Larry was a crusader for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. Probably because he knew it too well. For those who never knew his truth and may not like to hear it, I think Larry would like to set you down if he could, educate and advise you. For anyone whose life he impacted, he would expect you to carry on the fight.
From an early age, he struggled with depression. He fought the good fight but it finally took his life.  Larry we pray you found peace and are with Andrew smiling down on us all, happy at last.