Brian J. Langdon

Brian Joseph Langdon was born on September 19, 1942, in Milford, MA. He was raised in Grafton, MA, where he met Marie Danielson, the love of his life, when they were each only 12 years old. After graduating from Grafton High in 1960 and Bates College in 1964, he married Marie and together they moved to Ann Arbor, MI, where Brian earned his Master’s in Social Work at the University of Michigan. Brian’s work brought them–and eventually their two daughters–to Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1980 the family moved back to Connecticut where Brian was the president and CEO of Family Services Woodfield in Bridgeport for 30 years until his retirement. Brian was extremely committed to the agency’s mission of helping families and communities build strength and skills that would foster success. He cared deeply about people and about understanding what was important to them–friends, family, and strangers alike. He was warm, charming, funny, persuasive, and compassionate in both his professional life and his private one. One of his high school classmates recently wrote, “Brian was a friend to all, brilliant but humble, witty but sensitive, hard-working but fun-loving.”

Brian’s favorite place in the world was Block Island, RI. He and Marie diligently and lovingly cared for the old Victorian island home on Calico Hill that they bought in 1986. When they retired almost 20 years ago, they gradually shifted their lives to the island full time. Brian couldn’t have been happier than the time he spent tending his gardens, taking long walks on the Greenway trails and the beach, overseeing his frolicking grandchildren, hosting happy hours that extended long past sunset, and rocking quietly on the front porch, watching the birds and the boats. Marie lovingly and unselfishly cared for Brian in their home until his final weeks. Brian passed away peacefully on May 5, 2023, surrounded by his wife and daughters.

Brian is survived by his wife of nearly 59 years, Marie Langdon of Block Island, RI; daughters and sons-in-law, Kristen & Lee Cohen of Needham, MA and Marjorie & Brian Nusom of Trumbull, CT; grandchildren Daniel Cohen, Thomas Cohen, Peter Cohen, Charlie Cohen, Bridget Nusom, Matthew Nusom, & Kevin Nusom; brother Douglas Langdon of Poultney, VT; and nieces and nephews Jon Danielson, Lara Danielson, Todd & Nan Danielson, Heather & Chris Patterson, and Kate Langdon. He was predeceased by his parents Earle and Ovilla Langdon, brother Bruce Langdon, and sister Susan Langdon.

Brian’s family would like to express their thanks to the many wonderful people that make Block Island a special community and made it possible for Brian to spend his final years with his favorite person in his favorite place. Thank you to the staff at Block Island Medical Center, the volunteers of  BI Volunteer Rescue Squad, the Senior Advisory Group, the BI Caregiver Support Group, Bernice, Cindy, Paul, Pat D., Tom, Pat S., Rick, and Maria.

A memorial service will be held at the Harbor Baptist Church on Block Island on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you donate to The Block Island Medical Center that cared for Brian and supported Marie in his final years (https://bihealthservices.com/donations/), the Butler Hospital Foundation where they are researching ways to detect, treat, and someday prevent Alzheimer’s disease (https://www.butler.org/memory) (specify Memory and Aging Program research), or the Block Island Conservancy whose mission is to protect BI’s rural character and access to its natural resources which were Brian’s favorite things about the island (https://biconservancy.org/).

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