Aila A Langhans Obituary (1920 - 2019)

Aila A. Langhans was born Aileen Theresa Nazarethian- a daughter of two immigrants: Aileen O'Riordan (from Killarney, Ireland), who entered the USA at Boston, Massachusetts, and Aram Nazarethian (an Armenian from Constantinople under the Ottoman Empire), who entered the USA at Ellis Island. She had an older sister, Maria Beatrice, who passed away in 2006. Aileen was born in the Bronx Borough of New York City, but in the 1920s it was an entirely different world than it is today: goats roaming about, individual family stores, such as butchers, and scattered apartment buildings. She often recalled her childhood, including the milkmen and icemen, who delivered their wares by horse and wagon. She especially enjoyed going to the automat, a self-service cafeteria which would compete well in today's modern world. Her mother also encouraged her and her sister in the area of drama, introducing them to poetry and music, along with the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Imagination abounded, as she created a life of wonder and delight within this simple, old-fashioned world. Aileen attended St. Thomas Aquinas grammar school; then she was accepted into an all-girls', private, free school, Hunter Prep and Hunter College, from which she graduated with a Bachelors' Degree in Art. During those years and after graduation, she worked in Bloomingdale's Department and at the college, in the Registrar's Office. As a young adult, her activities involved skiing, dances, and ice skating. Yes, she took the subway, the trolley, and trains all the way to the Catskills Mountains; there she had to walk up the mountain in order to ski back down. Of course, she had wonderful training in her youth, because she had to walk both ways up steep hills in three feet of snow, to and from school! Ice skating was how she met her husband, our daddy, John E. Langhans, who had returned from Pearl Harbor after the War (WWII). After a brief courtship of four years, with multiple proposals, they were quickly and quietly married in St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, at which time, daddy adopted her parents, who moved in with them and even followed them across the continent. Note that it was a mixed marriage: mommy from the Bronx and daddy from Brooklyn. After daddy left the military, he received training to become a molder - a civilian worker for the Navy. Over the years, he went through the many levels - apprenticeship, journeyman, and all the way up to Master Molder. Our parents had six children - three girls and three boys, which were born in various states, as daddy was promoted and transferred. The oldest boy and girl (Aram and Aileen) were born in the Bronx; the third child (Wendy) was born during their brief stay in Charleston, South Carolina; and the last three children (John, Kathy, and Peter) were born in Seattle. Our daddy worked in the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, where he was the last Master Molder to retire from government service. In the 1950s, the entire family moved into the University Park Neighborhood, a family community which boasted that any child could walk to school from kindergarten through graduate school. Mommy was a devoted wife and mother; she never called herself a housewife, because she would argue, "I am mot married to the house." With daddy commuting every day by ferry to and from Bremerton, mommy and grandma and grandpa watched over us during the day, sending us off to school each day with a delicious bread and butter sandwiches (butter white bread, with a thin slice of chipped beef) and 3 cents for milk. To her there was no such thing as inflation! And, when we laughed about it later in life, mommy embarrassingly said, "Why didn't you say anything?" We simply stated that her love was so nourishing that we wanted for nothing. In 1962, the day mommy gave birth to her youngest child, Peter, she and daddy received the key to our summer home on the Longbeach Peninsula, in the southwest corner of Washington State. We spent our summers running around the sand dunes, while daddy took the train back and forth on weekends. There, we had the time and space to expand our own imagination, just like mommy in her youth. Once a year, we took off in our station wagon for fun adventures throughout Washington and Oregon state, including the Olympic Peninsula, and the Oregon coast. Later, when the family grew up, mommy still loving supported all six children during our many ups and downs. She and daddy encouraged us do to our best, study hard, and keep our faith strong. Even after we moved out of the house, they were always supportive; and they were so thrilled whenever we came home for visits. Shortly after daddy passed away, the three daughters returned to the family house to be with mommy. We were so grateful that God gave us these special years with her - sharing stories and memories and lovingly caring for her in her waning days. She guided us as we uncovered old photographs and letters, telling us who appeared in the images and when and where the photo was taken. She also encouraged us as we began to reunite with our expanded family tree, especially the Irish lineage which has been scattered around the world - the O'Riordans, the Ryans, and the Reeds. To her very last breath, she shared so much love and joy, with her special smile; and we always enjoyed our family meals, especially our periodic trips to McDonald's for chocolate dipped ice cream cones. Each evening she said her prayers, which included listing the names of all her loved ones - her six children, twelve grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. The night that mommy was called to her Heavenly Home, she received quite an awesome send-off: a massive jolt of lightning accompanied by thunder so loud that it shook the family home; and, at the former Providence hospital where Kathy was watching over her, a sudden. massive hailstorm! Soon thereafter, as we mourned and our hearts ached for our mommy, we had to choose an urn for her ashes. This dilemma was soon rectified, when we came up with this odd solution: an old white salt canister, which belonged to her mother. While "Salt of the earth" seemed most appropriate, the canister also reminded us of this old family story: Many years ago, her mother made applesauce for her father, but accidently used salt instead of sugar, only to blame it all on daddy! Mommy's Funeral Mass was celebrated at Blessed Sacrament Church on April 2, 2019. She is now residing with daddy, her parents, and her sister, in Calvary Catholic Cemetery; our only view property, it overlooks Lake Washington. We now bring them the most colorful and fragrant flowers from our garden, as we pray to them and ask them to intercede for us. Now that mommy has joined her loved ones in Heaven, she has left us with a solemn duty to keep family at the center of our lives - because, time and space should not separate us from those we love. That includes you, mommy and daddy. We know you are still watching over our shoulders, whispering in our ears, and giving us a nudge now and then. You are with us in spirit, just in another time-space continuum, but still closest to our hearts. Remembrances may be made in her honor to Blessed Sacrament Church Music Ministry 5050 8th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105 APRIL 2, 2019 (Portraits 1 and 2) The children of Aila Nazarethian and John Edward Langhans Left to Right: Aram Nicholas Langhans (1950), Aileen Margaret Langhans (1953), Wendy Ann Langhans (1955), Katherine Honore Langhans (1958), John Adam Langhans (1956), and Peter Damian Langhans (1962) The Family Portrait Back row: Steve Hill; Peter Langhans; Aram Langhans; Sam Jones; Wilford, Asia, and Georgia (great grandchildren ) Middle row: Tracey, SaMya (great grandchildren); Stacey Jo Langhans (grandchild); Jasmine (great grandchild) Front row: Wendy Langhans, Denise Smith (Peter's wife); Kathy Langhans; Aileen Langhans; Felicia Langhans (grandchild) To the right: John Langhans (son with 4 of his 10 children--mommy's grandchildren): Victoria, Nicholas Langhans, and adopted twins from Ghana--Julie and Comfort NOT PICTURED: Elizabeth (adopted from the Ukraine); Antonina Aileen; twins: Dave and Isabella; infant, Sarah Grace; and their mother, Svetlana Langhans (wife of John Langhans) Pictures 3 and 6: Christmas 2018: photos of grandchildren and great grandchildren taken in the family home on the staircase Picture 4: Mommy and the three daughters at Christmas Mass in 2018 Picture 5: Mommy on a Santa Sleigh with Wendy - Christmas in 2016