Jane C. Langdell

Jane Craig (Young) Langdell, age 93, died peacefully at her beloved home in Milford on November 22nd. A lifelong Milford resident, Jane was the last surviving and youngest of ten children born to the late Andrew Donald and Jessie Duncan Young. Drawn by the then thriving granite industry in Milford and southern New Hampshire, Jane’s family immigrated there in 1913. Her parents and five of her brothers were born in Woodside, Aberdeen Scotland. The five youngest Young siblings were born in Milford. A 1939 graduate of Milford High School, Jane always called The Granite Town her home even during the years of regular commutes by passenger train and bus to her apartment on Pinckney Street and work in Boston. She attended Boston University and went on to work for a number of years as an instructor at Felt and Tarrant Manufacturing Company makers of comptometers and comptographs. Jane met her future husband, Theodore R. “Ted” Langdell, at an auction he was conducting in Milford. A bet over the winning bid for a wing chair led to dinner at “Boots & Saddles” in Groton and soon after to a marriage proposal on the side of Route 3 when Ted was driving her back to Boston. Theodore won the bet in more ways than one. Together Jane and Ted operated a highly successful auctioneering and appraising business that took them throughout New England, New York and the Maritime Provinces. Retirement was not a word in her vocabulary. After Ted’s death in 1982, Jane continued to manage the business under the moniker of Langdell Homestead Auction Barn with assistance from her daughter Janet and friends auctioneer John F. French and his wife Mary. In addition to being a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, cousin and friend, Jane was an avid reader always enjoying a story well told and the news of the day whether it was in print or television format. She enjoyed going to Hayward’s for ice cream, knitting for others, spending time with her family, and being one of TerryLee’s “Thursday Morning Girls.” She was a member of the VFW Post 4368 Ladies Auxiliary. Jane is survived by her daughter Janet A. Langdell of Milford, many nieces and nephews spanning three generations, her “Boston cousins” and their families, a brother-in-law Joseph K. Langdell of Yuba City, California and his family, and many good friends whom she considered part of her large extended family. As per Mrs. Langdell’s wishes, there will be no calling hours. A celebration of her life and interment at Vale End Cemetery will be held at a later date convenient for her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hillsborough County Youth Center Foundation, Inc., PO Box 391, New Boston, NH 03070 in support of the 4-H Youth Center or the building fund at the Wadleigh Memorial Library, 49 Nashua Street, Milford NH 03055.