Martha W. Langford

Birth date: Jul 4, 1944 Death date: May 2, 2022

Martha W. Langford of Lovettsville, VA, died recently at home. She was born in 1944 and attended schools in Baldwinsville, NY. A certified English teacher, Martha taught in several Virginia high schools. Read Obituary

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Vicki Gasperini (Betzler/Jackson)

1w ago

I am just learning of the passing of Martha. We had a friendship in the 1970’s and then a collegiate relationship as co-teachers at Chantilly HS and then, 25 years later, at the end of my career, at Herndon HS. She loved her subject and she was devoted to her students. My son was fortunate to have had Martha as his Sophomore English teacher. I feel a sorrow that we lost touch, but this is often the way in life. In my 70’s now, I am reading the obituaries of many who left meaning and memories for me. And flights of angels , sing thee to the rest., dear Martha. I hope your passing was peaceful. Vicki

Jorely Ponce

173w ago

The best English teacher and mentor ever❤️ She always guided me when I was lost. She was the best teacher one can get and it broke my heart when I read that she passed away. I don’t have words to express my sorrows and sadness. To your family, my heartfelt condolences go out. The sight of the genuinely lovable and kind person she was, I will miss.

Jean Macleod

177w ago

Martha Winship, a class leader, a smart girl, an enthusiastic cheerleader at B'ville's basketball and football games. Martha and Edie. Edie and Martha. I was in almost all the same classes they were in. I got to know them and Karen in Sub Deb, a social club where Martha made me feel welcome. And Martha always had perfect hair. I never knew how she managed that. I lost track of Martha after we graduated from high school, because my family moved away, so I am really touched to read these memories. The Winships were well known and highly respected in Baldwinsville. I remember Martha with deep fondness. May all of you, her family and friends, find comfort as you remember Martha.

Edie Hallchurch Pinegar

177w ago

I am heartbroken to have lost my dear friend Martha. We met in 7th grade and remained friends until last year when she no longer responded to my emails. I fear that her stoke kept her from communicating.
I lived in rural Baldeinsville so it was difficult for me to attend evening events at the high school. Martha’s family hosted me innumerable times so I could stay in town for events. They became my second family for years. She was always there for me, and I for her. Over the years, we sheared good times and some really though ones like the death of her husband and my bout with cancer. We also shared our love of teaching English and exchanged ideas and strategies over our teaching careers. She was warm. creative and empathetic as she dealt with students.
Rest In Peace, my friend. You will always be in my heart!❤️

Karen Winters

177w ago

My husband Bucky and I send our sympathy to Martha's family during this difficult time.

Martha and I were friends in Baldwinsville during our middle and high school years. We were cheerleaders together for basketball and football and were members of the National Honor Society. She was fun to be with, smart and had a great sense of humor. I can remember visiting her parents, who owned a shoe store on Oswego Street in Baldwinsville, to check out the latest fashions in footwear.

One of the most fun times we shared was at her grandparents cottage in New Hampshire. There was a wonderful natural swimming hole carved in rock. It was the coldest, clearest water I had ever been in. We also used some creativity and put on a play for the adults. All around fun time.

Elizabeth Comtois reflections of Martha as a teacher and friend speak volumes to Martha's zest for teaching and helping others.

May she rest in peace.

Karen Wormuth Winters

Elizabeth Comtois

183w ago

I've never written anything for someone who has passed, but Martha Langford was perhaps my staunchest supporter during a time in my life when I was struggling, upset, and confused, and she deserves to have something memorializing her beautiful soul and brilliant mind. And so I will do my best to share some of the things about her that truly stood out to me.

I was a student of Ms. Langford’s while she was teaching English at Herndon High School. I fondly remember trekking up to her classroom for lunches, and staying after school to spend time with her. She made the best beef bisque I have ever eaten, and she frequently brought in tasty treats to share while we went over papers and lessons. I often spent lunch my off-day lunch hours in the room with her, and we joked and laughed over books and events in our lives. Even after I graduated, I spent the next few years coming back each summer to help her clean up from the school year. She is one of the few teachers I had that I honestly believed taught for the joy of teaching and helping students, and sought to improve the frequently stringent and uninspiring lesson plans, despite the ever closing jaws of politics crushing teachers' best efforts. She worked to get supplies for the entire English department, and was tireless in her effort to help struggling students in an area where there were many older children whose first language was not English.

Ms. Langford had a very long teaching career, which resulted in the coolest stash of old lesson plans and exams that I loved poking through while helping her pack and unpack her room before and after summer vacations. There was quite literally multiple generations of lesson plans from over her decades of teaching, and it was fascinating to peruse them while discussing how schools have changed over the years. Ms. Langford had an extremely witty sense of humor, and one she was more than happy to share even in class if a student asked the right questions.

I don't know much of her life outside of her work as a school teacher, but I do know she had horses at one point that she adored. She liked to keep plants, and had an unkillable pathos on the cabinet in her room that she would take trimmings from each summer to propagate in little jars of water to give to other teachers. She loved arts and crafts, and held on to the best of the projects students had done over the years. I particularly remember the "kid friendly" picture books of the Canterbury Tales students created to retell the stories with frequently hilarious adjustments to remove any questionable bits. There was also a collection of crochet projects, lace, and calligraphy she had gotten over the years that she displayed lovingly around the room. And I know that she was a loving daughter, caring for her own mother at home until she passed, with little support or thanks from her family. She was strong and kind, and I believe everyone should strive to be like her.

The things she taught, the stories she knew, and the wisdom she shared will always be important to me. I wish I had known her better, and one of my greatest regrets is losing contact with her only to discover she had passed away just months before I tried to find her again. And while I am sad that she is gone, I will always remember her with upmost fondness.

Thank you Ms. Langford, and may you rest in peace.

Elizabeth Comtois

183w ago

Thank you Ms. Langford, and may you rest in peace.

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