JOHN LANGDON RAND May 2, 2017
John Langdon Rand, age 89, passed away on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. John was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia, last May, following 63 years of marriage.
Born in Detroit, Michigan to John and Leona Rand, John was raised in eastern Oregon and thereafter retained life-long ties to family and friends in the northwest. He is survived by his 6 children: John (Brenda), Mark (Carolyn), Greg (Christine), Amy (Don), Dan (Remi), Joe (Carminda); 15 grandchildren; and 6 great grandchildren.
At 17 years old, John volunteered for the Navy during WWII. He served in the Philippines and Japan as an electronics technician. After his military service he attended Gonzaga University on the GI Bill and graduated with a BS in electrical engineering. He married Virginia Althouse in 1953 and started their family while moving around to various locations, ranging from the east coast to El Paso, TX, before gravitating back to the northwest cities of Tacoma and Richland, WA. In 1966 John took a job at Los Alamos National Laboratory where he made his home for the next 50 years.
John and family arrived in the greater southwest on a hot, dry afternoon the summer of 1966. Stopping for a meal in what was to them the exotic small town of Espanola, eight tired travelers were introduced to a flavor and culture that changed their lives forever.
Raising his family, hobbies, and volunteering kept him busy! He thoroughly enjoyed fishing, hunting, woodcarving, and the investment club. A member of the old Pajarito Hill Ski Club, he and the kids spent summers clearing the slopes and carving the snow in the winters. His interests in geology and mining led to numerous excursions to visit interesting mines and geological formations throughout the state, usually accompanied by one or more of the kids.
He was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He was a board member for Self Help for many years and on the Los Alamos Utilities board.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Los Alamos Heart Council Inc., P.O. Box 749, Los Alamos, NM 87544 or the charity of your choice.
Cremation has taken place and burial for both John and Virginia will be held at a later date in Baker, Oregon. Friends are invited to an open house to remember John at the Rand family home, 959 Otowi Place on June 17th from 1-4pm.