New York City/Paxton--Jerome “Jerry” Langer, 88, of New York City, a resident of Paxton from 1969 to 2004, died on September 14, 2005.
He was born in Brooklyn, NY, son of Matthew A. and Rosalie (Brenner) Langer. He was a graduate of New York University, and a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. During WWII, he attended the Coast Guard Academy, served as navigation officer on the first LST to leave for the Pacific. In 1945, as Executive Officer of LST 767, his ship was in the first wave of the Invasion of Okinawa. He was awarded the WWII Victory Medal and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze stars.
After the war, Mr. Langer attended Harvard Business School, and received an MBA. After a long career in marketing, he became a college professor, and taught at Clark University, Assumption College, Worcester State, and Suffolk University.
Upon retiring from teaching, he channeled his energy into volunteer work. He joined a mentoring program working one-on-one with inner-city youth, was a member of Literacy Volunteers, and was on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Business Empowerment Center. He was active in the Paxton Lions Club, and was a former member of the Paxton Recreation Committee. He was a member of Temple Sinai for 35 years.
Mr. Langer is survived by his wife Joanne B. Langer, his daughter Sally, his granddaughter Davie, all of New York City, and his grandson Matthew of Myrtle Beach, SC. His son David and daughter Joy predeceased him. Before he died, Mr. Langer made arrangements to donate his body to science. A memorial celebration of his life was held last weekend at his home in New York City.