Ken Langdon, Ortley Beach Homeowner, Advocate, Mourned At 85

TOMS RIVER, NJ — If you've been to a Toms River Township Council meeting in the last 5 years, chances are you heard Ken Langdon speak about the issues facing Ortley Beach in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

He questioned the council, he pushed and prodded for information and action as the township and its residents worked to recover from the storm that devastated Ortley Beach.

Langdon, who was active with the Ortley Beach Liaison Commission and was a member of the VFW and Chairman of the Veterans Day Parade Committee in Toms River, died Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. He was 85 years old.

Kenneth E. Langdon was born in Neshanic Station and lived in Franklin Park before moving permanently to Ortley Beach in 2004. He had summered in Ortley since the 1950s.

He graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1952 and was inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame in May 2002 for football and track. Ken proudly served in the U.S. Navy and received a degree in management from Rutgers University.

He owned and operated Ken Langdon Designs in Franklin Park and then in Ortley Beach. Always active in his community, he served on the Franklin Township Board of Education from 1968 to 1978 and was a past president of the board, was a fire commissioner and Cub Master of Pack 100 in Franklin Township.

Surviving is his loving wife of 64 years, Doris (Hoagfield); two sons and their wives, Ken Jr. and Joanne of Acworth, Georgia, and Jeff and Missy of North Brunswick, NJ, and two grandchildren, Anthony and Sarah.

The memorial gathering is set for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, with a service at 5 p.m. at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 706 Grand Central Ave., Lavallette.

Condolences may be sent to www.ryanfuneralhome.com.

Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff