Patricia 'Patty' Davidson Langohr, 88

Patricia “Patty” Davidson Langohr, 88, passed away of natural causes on Jan. 20, 2016. An avid reader, she retained her intellect and mental clarity to her last day.

Patty was born Feb. 22, 1927, in Miles City to George and Verdie Philbrick Davidson. Shortly thereafter the family moved 40 miles west to the little town of Rosebud on the south bank of the Yellowstone river. Young Patty was then closer to her grandfather’s ranch and where her father trailed sheep to and from his pastures in Rosebud and Garfield counties.

As youngsters in the summer, Patty, her sister Betty, and their mother would head to the Philbrick ranch up the nearby Rosebud Creek to help in the kitchen and play in the fields. One memorable trip to the ranch was all-day by horseback.

Later as teenagers the sisters and their mom would tend their father’s sheep camp. It brought a special joy to Patty when the Scottish sheepherders helped celebrate her birthday.

At Rosebud High the highlight of her tenure was winning the district championship in the high jump. She also developed a soft touch as a pianist and earned valedictorian of the Class of ’45. The war effort left only one boy at home in her senior class.

Then it was on to the “prettiest place she had ever seen,” Bozeman and a degree in Applied Sciences (Class of 1949) from what is now Montana State University. Patty student-taught at Billings Senior High School. She met her husband, Don Langohr, at a Bobcat-Grizzly game in Butte. They were married in the small Rosebud Episcopal church on a “very hot” day with the Bozeman priest arriving “a little late.” Don and Patty were happily married 64 years.

Bozeman became their home where she assisted on the creative side of the family business, Langohr’s Flowerland, but for the most part was a stay-at-home-mom.  An annual Northern Pacific Railway trip to Rosebud for Thanksgiving became tradition followed by hours of cribbage, pitch and Parcheesi. Grandfather Davidson didn’t like to lose nor did anyone else.

Remarkable to her children were the many long-lasting friendships Patty developed over the years through college life, civic activities and clubs such as bridge, quilting, book and dance. Patty was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, PEO Chapter AU, a docent at the Museum of the Rockies, and involved in the management of family land in eastern Montana. She was fortunate to visit her cousins in Maine, Scotland and New Zealand and traced the path of her father’s World War I regiment in France.

In 2013 Patty moved to the St John’s Campus Vista Assisted Living facility in Billings to be closer to her granddaughter, Kara, who shares her grandmother’s talent for music. Her sister Betty joined her at Vista in 2015. Thank you to the staff of Vista for their kind care.

Patty leaves behind her sister Elizabeth Clark; son Mike (Callie) of Kalispell, son Doug (Marilee) of Bozeman and daughter Janis Langohr Johnson (Kevin) of Billings; granddaughter Kara Johnson and sister-in-law Margaret Jeanne Shively of Woodland Hills, California. She had six nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband and infant daughter.

A memorial service to celebrate Patty’s life will be announced this summer in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Memorials in Patty’s name can be made to PEO chapters to benefit scholarships for women, to the Bozeman Symphony (1001 West Oak St. No. 201 Bozeman, MT 59715) or charity of your choice.