Richard “Dick” Clayton Langley

FALMOUTH – Richard “Dick” Clayton Langley, 88, a resident of Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth, died on Monday, April 6, 2020. He was born at the old Westbrook Hospital on Main St., Westbrook, on June 27, 1931, to Eliza Mae Sinnett Langley and Oscar Garfield Langley.A longtime trucker, Dick was proud of his own trucking company R.C. Langley, Inc. that he owned and operated for many years. He knew the entire country from highways and back roads, from northern Maine to Florida, and west to the Rocky Mountains. His retirement years took him to Florida for several years, where he lived in Brooksville, Fla., spending his days fishing in the canals near Pine Island, and exploring wide open places he called the “Outback.” Dick grew up in Hollis on the “largest truck farm in York County.” His family was one of the Victory Farms that supplied food to workers at the South Portland Shipyard, and housed workers who were bussed in from Hollis. Located on the old Cape Road, he used to ride his horse, Sam, to school and then send him home, where his mother would send Sam back at the end of the day to bring him home. Not being a fan of school, he was the ultimate prankster, and one time nailed the lids down in the outhouse at Hollis Center School. In 1947, he helped fight the great fire that swept through southern Maine. He was 16, driving a water truck, and fighting to help put out the fires sweeping Ossipee Hill toward Waterboro.In 1951, Dick joined the United States Army, serving as an engineer aboard a seagoing tugboat, during the Korean War. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 1953, until his Honorable Discharge in 1959. In October 2019, Dick travelled to Washington, D.C. to see his Korean War Memorial, courtesy of Honor Flight Maine. At 88 years old, this was the first time he had flown.After his Army years, he settled in North Yarmouth with his family where he always had a bountiful garden, grew roses, raised ducks, and had his goofy dog, Fred. He kept his own trucks there before incorporating to become his own trucking company, which was later based in Gray.Dick is survived by his daughters Susan Contant of Bath, Cynthia Langley of Falmouth, and Karen Perry of Bath and her husband Joe, his sons David Langley of Denver, Colo., and Richard M. Langley of San Diego, Calif. He is also survived by his grandchildren Eliza Ruth Watson and her husband Andrew, Carl Langley, Nicholas Langley, Sarah Perry, Jacob Perry and his wife Kelly, Daniel Contant and his wife Jennifer; and his great-grandchildren Eleanor Grace Langley, and Elijah Contant.Our family would like to express our gratitude and thanks for the loving care given to Dick during his stay at Sedgewood Commons. The nurses, CNAs and staff understood his disposition, his dry wit, and his insistence that his coffee be hot, and “just black.” We also want to thank the Veteran’s Administration doctors, nurses, and staff at both the VA Clinic in Portland, and at Togus, who cared for him over many years, and always treated him with dignity and respect.There will be a private family gathering later in the summer.He loved animals, and condolences may be shared, in lieu of flowers, at https://randysrescueranch.org/ a special place where his grandson, Carl Langley, volunteers many hours. Or, Honor Flight Maine https://www.honorflightmaine.org/donations which provided an amazing experience for him in October, 2019. And, as an especial remembrance, in keeping with who he really was, if you are a coffee drinker, have it “hot” in a diner mug, ” just black.”

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