Arlington, Ma
October 2, 2010 To those who knew Thomas Langdon before he went away to Notre Dame, he was Norrie. To later-life friends and colleagues, he was Tom. The son of Dr. Roy Langdon and Dorothy (Parker) Langdon, Tom was born (22 June 1936) and raised in Germantown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a “Lifer” at Germantown Academy, attending from kindergarten through senior year. Upon graduating from Notre Dame, Tom associated himself with the university’s Holy Cross Fathers, serving with them in community development and teaching roles in Panama and Chile. When he returned to the United States he decided to settle in Chicago to maintain ties with the Spanish-speaking community and to continue what would be his life-long commitment to furthering the cause of nonprofit organizations that work to enrich local communities by opening doors and reaching out to folks who just need a helping hand.
Over the years, through his instructing and fundraising, he touched countless lives. It was in Chicago that he met Linda S. Rehak. After several years of a growing friendship within a professional partnership, they married and moved to Arlington, MA where they have lived since 1982. In Boston, Tom was invited to join the Robert J. Corcoran Company, a fundraising consultant firm that counseled many of the area’s top educational, cultural, medical and social service organizations. During Tom’s near two-decade work with the firm, ultimately as vice president, the firm was instrumental in helping nonprofits confidently chart their future paths through feasibility studies and raise tens of millions of dollars through capital campaigns. Tom continued that successful career in later years as Director or Vice President of Development for several Greater Boston-area nonprofits. Tom was predeceased by his sisters Virginia O’Connell and Dorothy L. Sitley and his brother Theodore P. Langdon.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Linda, who was both a pillar and a compass for him for over 28 years, and his daughter Martina Anne whom he loved muchisimisimo. A Memorial service will be held Saturday at 12 noon, October 16, 2010, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester MA (978.283.6550). As a final gesture of your remembrance of him, Tom requested that you consider making a generous contribution to your favorite charitable institution.