Emily Knowles Langford

Emily Knowles Langford died peacefully at home on September 10, 2011, in the company of her family, following a 16-year battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Larry Langford; her siblings Faith Knowles, Alison Petri, and Joseph Knowles; her children Margaret Sweet, Lydia Langford, and George Langford; and her three grandchildren, Hugo Sweet, Graham Sweet, and Asha Langford.

Emily grew up in Wellesley, raising her own family in the same house in which she was raised. It was important to her that her children be raised in the company of their grandparents. The result was a rare and wonderful world of animals and action, and as much family togetherness as possible. No winter in her life was considered complete unless she was able to skate on the first black ice on the pond, turning her pirouettes to music (the most recent winter included just one day black ice, December 18th, 2010, which she seized for a day of skating with Lydia).

Emily kept horses in the field behind the house, including Bear, whom she rode all over town. The most famous, however, was Ringo, the pony and his cart was a favorite at her children's schools (Hunnewell and Fiske) in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In addition to horses, Emily maintained a menagerie of chickens, ducks, geese, Guinea hens and exotic pheasants, all of which helped make her home a magical place for children.

Emily was a graceful, and incredibly coordinated athlete (and fiercely competitive!). In addition to riding unicycles and juggling, walking on stilts, and bouncing on pogo sticks, Emily completed the Boston Marathon and played a very good game of tennis. She was an elegant ice skater and such a joy to watch.

But perhaps her greatest passion was skiing. She was phenomenal. She spent much of her life in the White Mountains, climbing Tuckerman’s Ravine as a child, and later fearlessly skiing the headwall (pregnant with Margaret!). Emily raced on the Wellesley High School ski team, then for Colby Jr. College, and then for the University of Denver, where she came to love skiing in the Rockies (especially Taos and Vail). She was unquestionably the most beautiful skier on any mountain she skied.

Always daring and adventurous, Emily trekked in Nepal, sailed with her father in a 25’ sloop down the St. Lawrence and around the Gaspé Peninsula. She cruised the Bahamas and loved sailing in Buzzard’s Bay. One of her more sporting acts (and possibly the bravest) was to agree to ride on the back of a motorcycle behind Larry on two European trips, logging a couple thousand miles riding the high passes of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. She loved creating and sharing an adventure, large or small.

When Emily cared about something, she committed herself totally and tirelessly. She was an active member of the board of the Friends of the Wellesley Free Library, and an early member of the Friends of Recycling - she absolutely loved the recycling center! Her other-centeredness led her naturally to a career as a counselor at Planned Parenthood, working on the front lines to help young women make important health decisions. She worked at the clinic on Beacon Street alongside those who were shot in 1994, and continued working until her cancer treatments forced her to stop. Anyone who knew Emily would say she was only doing what she naturally did so well - she had the wonderful gift of making the person she was talking to feel that they were the only person in the room, no matter their age. It’s what made Emily such a wonderful friend and a person others relied upon for solid advice.

Emily was a master curator and creative visionary. Her inspiring taste and organic sense of style was such a part of her being, it was automatically reflected in her surroundings and anything she touched. When you came across something that belonged in her world you wanted her to have it immediately just to see how brilliantly she displayed it. She made her home into a living expression of joy and love. Emily was a courageous, dynamic, steadfast, and inspiring woman of true Yankee sensibility and unique spirit. She leaves an enormous whole in all of our lives.

Services are private.

Memorial contributions in memory of Emily Knowles Langford may be made to Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center, 800 Washington Street, Suite #245, Boston, MA 02111 or to Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Attn: Development Associate, 1055 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.