Gillis Earl Langham, age eighty-two, of Semmes, Alabama passed away at home December 26th, 2025. Gillis Earl was born May 19, 1943 in Brewton, Alabama and graduated from W.S. Neal High School in 1961. He married Patricia Ann Smith in 1966 and the couple were together for fifty-six years. Gillis Earl and Pat spent time in North Carolina and Brewton before settling in Mobile in 1976. A journeyman pipefitter, Gillis Earl spent most of his career working for Batchelor’s Mechanical Contractors and retired after 31 years of service.
He was a skilled tradesman but his interests and skill set ranged from carpentry to classic car restoration and practically all jobs in between. Good natured and humble, Gillis Earl was a hard working man that was generous with his time and knowledge – always ready to help anyone. He loved his family and enjoyed his grandchildren, family gatherings and reunions. He loved telling his stories. Some of his favorites included running the roads of Brewton in his youth and he confided with a sense of pride that his father often scolded him that he only knew one speed – fast. He grew to be an industrious man and his leisure time reflected that. When not repairing air conditioners in his backyard shop, he enjoyed buying, restoring and selling old cars as his father had taught him to do. He loved his wife Pat and was ever mindful of how to stay on the good side of a woman. Teaching his philosophy to any young man that would listen. “Yes ma’am, no ma’am, no excuse ma’am” followed by a giggle that belied his having crossed this maxim more than a time or two. He loved to be on the road and, if given an opportunity to go for a drive, it didn’t matter the destination the response was always the same, “Might as well.”
Gillis Earl was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd Earl and Faye Langham, his wife Pat and his son Kevin Langham.
He is survived by his daughters Angela (James) Bouchard and Karla (Ben) Dodson, his grandchildren Alexa (Alex Rodriquez) Bouchard and Pierson Bouchard, his brother Micheal (Lynda) Langham, and his sisters Susan Hansen, Sherry (Tony) McCall and Kay (Lester) Cooper.
A graveside service will be held at Pine Crest West Cemetery, 1559 Snow Road South, Mobile, Alabama 36695 on January 3, 2026 at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please contribute to Alzheimer’s or cancer research.
