John H Langford

Born August 18, 1923 in Union Township, Wayne County, Iowa to Benjamin Edward and Marie (Becker) Langford, he married Beatrice L. “Bea” Brown on May 17, 1947 in Peoria. She died December 28, 1979. He later married Irene (Neuman) Spahr. She preceded him in death. He last married Charlotte (Neuman) Scott. She preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his parents; one great-grandson, Nate Arnold; one brother, Larry Langford; and one sister, Kathryn Snook.

Surviving are two daughters, Curta (Gary) Bramble of Effingham and Diana Maness of Emden; five grandchildren, Curta (Rich) Arnold of Delavan, Michael (Nanette) Miller of Wilton, New York, Keith (Santi) Miller of Indonesia, Cyndi (Dustin) Dorsey of Pooler, Georgia, and Dannie (Emie) Maness of Germany; nine great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; one brother, Bill (Bea) Langford of California; and one sister, Joann Aldridge of Newton, Iowa.

John had worked at Caterpillar, Inc., the Rock Island Arsenal, and later at Pekin Machine. He was the co-owner of Speedway Auto Service and later owned Langford City Service Station. He last worked for Centel Telephone Company for 22 years, retiring January 1, 1985 as a shop mechanic.

John raced stock cars throughout Central Illinois for many years and also was with the Lucky Lee Lott Hell Drivers Thrill Show for several years. He was inducted into the Peoria Racing Hall of Fame in 1997. John enjoyed fishing and watching racing.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Lakeside Cemetery in Pekin.

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com