Rose Roh Langford
A beautiful lady, Rose Roh Langford, died on November 29, 2016.
Rose was born in Lincoln, Nebraska to Martin and Margaret Roh on January 27, 1922. She grew up as part of a special, close-knit "Germans-from-Russia" community in Lincoln. While her mother and sisters excelled at quilting, sewing, and crocheting, Rose enjoyed games and sports more. She biked good distances ("on balloon tires!"), ice-skated, played tennis, and in what must have come as a surprise to her husband Woodie, a Texan, she could ride a horse.
As a young woman in the 1940s, she completed a rigorous three-and-a-half-year nursing program at Lincoln General Hospital. Her sense of adventure took her to Tampa, Florida, where she became the charge nurse of a 50-patient hospital ward, and then, with encouragement from a friend already there, to Saudi Arabia in the very early 1950s to work as a nurse for the Arabian American Oil Company ("ARAMCO"). It was there she met the tall, good-looking Texan, W.W. "Woodie" Langford. In fairly short order, they were married on Bahrain Island. Theirs was a marriage of perfect dance partners, literally and figuratively.
As an expectant mother, Rose went back to Lincoln to give birth to her only child, Margaret Rose, returning to Saudi Arabia several months later. The Langford family lived in Dhahran and Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia until mid-1967, when Woodie took an early retirement.
Upon settling in New Braunfels, Rose and Woodie developed many friends through their association with the New Braunfels Elks Lodge. Having learned to play golf in Saudi Arabia (on sand and rock, with red golf balls), Rose was delighted to join the Landa Ladies Golf Association and play on actual green grass. She and Woodie also enjoyed playing many rounds of golf together and after his death in 1996, Rose continued playing until she was 80. Rose was also an excellent bridge player, who studied the rules regularly (and played by them) with the same groups of women over many years.
After Woodie's death, Rose and Margaret enjoyed each other's company and went on several trips to Las Vegas together, each one with its own adventure en route. They also traveled to Florida, Louisiana, and several times to Nebraska. As mother and daughter, they were also best friends.
Besides her parents and Woodie, Rose was pre-deceased by an infant brother Martin, her sister and brother-in-law Mary and Alex Froscheiser, her sister and brother-in-law Lydia and George Shank, her brother Pete, her brother-in-law Donald Oakley, and several Langford-family in-laws.
Rose is survived by her daughter Margaret, her sister Katherine Oakley, niece Judy Froscheiser Runion, nephew Curtis Froscheiser and his wife Mary, niece Donita Oakley Guest, niece Mary Oakley McGuire and her husband Barry, niece Elizabeth Oakley Rothfuss and her husband Dewayne, and their children and grandchildren. She is also survived by sister-in-law E. Lou Langford Lightfoot, brother-in-law James Langford, brother-in-law E.C. Langford, and many Langford-family nieces and nephews.
Margaret thanks the many doctors and their colleagues who kept Rose going over the years, especially Dr. Rubalcava and Dr. Fehlis. Also, thank you to all the truly wonderful caregivers of Kirkwood Manor, Hope Hospice, and Home Instead. Special hug for Gina Griffith.
When Margaret was a freshman in high school and at the time not too academically dedicated, she discovered that Rose had been a top nursing student and said to Rose, "I hope you don't expect me to be such a good student!" Rose replied, "I don't see why not." Thank you, Mom, for that wonderful gift of confidence, and everything else. I love you.
Visitation will be on Monday, December 5, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Zoeller Funeral Home.
Gatherings in Rose's memory will take place at a later time, as will a private burial at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery, where Rose will join her beloved Woodie. If you wish to make a donation in Rose's memory in lieu of flowers, please consider the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia at www.ahsgr.org/donations (or AHSGR, 631 D Street, Lincoln, NE 68502).