Hugh Langan

Obituary of Hugh James Langan

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Hugh James Langan – husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, friend, neighbor, and one-of-a-kind character – passed away at Morristown Medical Center on January 30, 2025 surrounded by his large, loving family. He was 87 years old.  
 
Born on Sept 8, 1937, Hughie was raised with five siblings in an apartment at the corner of Alexander Avenue and 139 th Street in the South Bronx. He was the son of Hugh and Catherine (née Gallagher), Irish immigrants from counties Westmeath and Offaly who came to America for a better life. 
 
Hughie attended St. Jerome’s Catholic School and got a degree in street smarts, playing stickball, shooting craps, shining shoes at Rao’s, jumping off the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge and swimming in the Hudson River. 

He was a funny, quick-witted, sharp, eye-rolling storyteller with a common sense that can’t be found in books. He’d ask, “Why the heck would you pay seven bucks for a cup of coffee at Starbucks when all you gotta do is walk into any hotel lobby or hospital waiting room in America and take all the free coffee you want?” 
 
He grew up with families named Sullivan, Mulligan and Shea and cops nicknamed Crime Buster, Lone Wolf, and Officer Ha Ha. Hughie said, “Ha Ha caught me playing craps, and beat the ‘craps’ outta me, laughing the whole time. That’s how he got his name.”  
 
In 1948, he was proclaimed the Boys Club of NYC Checker Champion. His playing prowess and killer instinct live on in his youngest grandchild, Audrey. 
 
Hughie may have left the Bronx, but the Bronx never left him. He called things, “tings” and “yokes”. He used words like movie house and idiot box. He called people Mac and Harry. He had the softer side of Archie Bunker, the wisdom of Fred Sanford and the style of Marlon Brando (the early years). He conducted himself with old fashioned pride, spit-shining his shoes and never wearing a hat at the dinner table.
  
He served in the National Guard with Donald McDonald and Cyril McNiff of the world famous McNiff Irish Dancers. They were stationed at the armory in Manhattan, blocks from the very dangerous Bloomingdales.    
 
He loved John Wayne and Jonathan Winters and watching The Quiet Man and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. 
 
But what he loved most was Ann Smith, the woman who would become his wife of nearly 65 years. They met at an Irish dance at the Jaeger House on Manhattan’s upper east side. He was smitten with the girl with the beautiful blue eyes from County Cavan Ireland, and she was taken with his charm, humor and Hollywood good looks. 
 
They married in September 1960 and went on to have six children, first living in the Bronx and Rockaway Beach (Hughie loved the beach and was one of the few Irishmen known to tan) before heading to Passaic, NJ and finally settling in Lake Hiawatha, NJ in 1971.  
 
Ann’s devotion to her husband was unparalleled. She was a wife, nurse, friend, taskmaster and tea maker, seeing him through his most trying times with a strength and dedication that her children find remarkable and inspirational. 
 
Hughie and Ann’s mantra was “education, education, education.” Hughie took a union job with the NYC Sanitation Department, where he worked for over 20-years, so his kids could benefit from the stability the job offered. They went on to attend NJ state colleges and work as teachers, engineers, a social worker, journalist and comedian. Any complaint by his children about school was met with the response, “An education is a light load to carry, much lighter than hauling trash into a truck.”   
 
In his retirement, he was a Walmart greeter for a VERY short time. He wasn’t well suited for the job. After saying hello, he’d invariably get a question like “Where’s the bleach?”  He’d respond, “Do I look like I know where the bleach is, Mac? I’m here to say hello, Harry, not give a tour.” 

He went to work for his son John’s engineering company and even started his own business called, Hughie, Man with a Truck, for people who - wait for it - needed a man with a truck.  
 
PopPop, as his ten grandchildren called him, was famous for his mashed potatoes. While one can’t give away the secret to their delicious success, teeming and scalding are involved.

PopPop was delighted with his grandchildren. Hughie and Ann’s dedication and sacrifices laid the foundation for them to study veterinary medicine, architecture, English, biochemistry, psychology, and finance, but more importantly they are kind people who have a deep respect for civil and public servants who work hard in our society and create the underpinning for future generations to thrive. They will carry Hughie’s stories, humor and mashed potato recipe forward to future generations. 
 
Hughie was a parishioner of St. Peter the Apostle R.C. Church In Parsippany for 55 years and a member of the Knights of Columbus. His deep faith in God sustained him at the most demanding times in his life. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and during his many medical challenges took great comfort in reciting the "Hail Mary." He gained strength by offering up his suffering to "the souls in purgatory," a belief his beloved mother bestowed upon him when she was ill. He cherished a statue of the Virgin that had belonged to her.
 
Just as Hugh deeply missed his precious mother, his family will deeply miss him. Rest easy dear husband, dad and PopPop. We are very proud of you. As the Lord has said: "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Hugh is survived by his devoted wife of 64 years, Ann (nee Smith) Langan; six beloved children: Hugh Langan and his wife Ila of Queens, NY,  Maureen Langan and Tony Modica of NYC, John Langan and his wife, Stephanie of Morristown, NJ, Catherine Dauber and her husband, Neal of Mount Tabor, NJ, Michael Langan and his wife, Elizabeth of Somerville, SC, and Anne Aquilino and her husband, Alexander of Morristown, NJ; a dear sister, Catherine Levine and her husband, John of Lewes, Delaware; and ten of the best grandchildren ever: Olivia Dauber and fiancé Rob Lowe, Kevin and Ryan Dauber, Amelia, Abigail and Jack Langan, Hanna and Donovan Langan, Jimmy Langan, and Audrey Aquilino. 
 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Catherine Langan; and his siblings, Mary Langan, Margaret Langan, Michael John Langan, and Edward Langan.   
 
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Visitation Sunday, Feb 2 nd from 3pm-7pm at S.J. Priola Parsippany Funeral Service, 60 North Beverwyck Road, Lake Hiawatha, NJ. The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday Feb 3 at St. Peter the Apostle R.C. Church, Baldwin Road, Parsippany, Interment will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery, Morristown.NJ. 

The Funeral Mass will be live-streamed on the parish web site at http://saintpetertheapostle.org

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations in Hugh’s memory to the http://www.rockawayneckfirstaid.org. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 41 Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034.

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Sunday
2
February

Visitation at Funeral Home

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 2, 2025
S.J. PRIOLA PARSIPPANY FUNERAL SERVICE
60 North Beverwyck Road
Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, United States
(973) 335-4700
Monday
3
February

Funeral Mass

10:00 am - 11:00 am
Monday, February 3, 2025
St. Peter The Apostle Church
179 Baldwin Rd.
Parsippany, New Jersey, United States
Monday
3
February

Interment

11:30 am
Monday, February 3, 2025
Holy Rood Cemetery
Whippany Road
Morristown, New Jersey, United States
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Hugh Langan

In Loving Memory

Hugh Langan

1937 - 2025

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