Obituary for Rebecca Langer
Rebecca Jane Langer, age 30, of Corvallis, Oregon, formerly of Northfield, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 28, 2018. Rebecca was born on Thursday, September 8, 1988, in Northfield to Gregory and Victoria (Leonard) Langer. She was baptized and confirmed at the Church of St. Dominic and graduated from Northfield High School in 2007 and from Lewis and Clark with a BA in International Affairs in 2012. She was studying for a Master’s Degree in Public Policy at Oregon State University. Survivors include her parents, Gregory and Victoria of Northfield; brother John (Kaitlin) Langer and niece Ivy Jeanne of Sandy, […]
Rebecca Jane Langer, age 30, of Corvallis, Oregon, formerly of Northfield, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 28, 2018.
Rebecca was born on Thursday, September 8, 1988, in Northfield to Gregory and Victoria (Leonard) Langer. She was baptized and confirmed at the Church of St. Dominic and graduated from Northfield High School in 2007 and from Lewis and Clark with a BA in International Affairs in 2012. She was studying for a Master’s Degree in Public Policy at Oregon State University.
Survivors include her parents, Gregory and Victoria of Northfield; brother John (Kaitlin) Langer and niece Ivy Jeanne of Sandy, Utah; partner Christopher Scheffler of Portland, Oregon; grandmother Alice Langer of Northfield; aunts and uncles Michele Waddell of Owatonna; Lioba (John) Forman of Albert Lea; Germaine (Gary) Neumann of Rochester; MaDonna Geibe of Elko; LaNette (Steve) Aeling of Hewitt; Lawrence (Diane) Langer of Northfield; Lorraine Langer (Gretchen Schlabach) of DeKalb, IL; Linus (Mary) Langer of Northfield; Gervase (Chris) Langer of Lakeville; Mathew (Shelley) Langer of Northfield; Machias (Carol) Langer of Kenyon; Geneva (Scott) Fitzsimmons of Minnetrista; Laurie Epperson of Denver; Linda (Frederic) Stephens of Roseville; William (Michele) Leonard of Basking Ridge, NJ; 35 cousins; and a multitude of friends and a large extended family. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents William and Mary Jane Leonard and her paternal grandfather Donald Langer.
Rebecca packed a lifetime of experience and adventure into her 30 years. She was generous, kind-hearted, smart, funny, vibrant, and fearless. Everyone who knew her will miss her beautiful smile and personality.
She was passionate about the environment and sought out jobs and activities that fulfilled that passion. She was a communications intern at Birdlife International, an NGO in Brussels, Belgium, whose mission is to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity. At the San Francisco Department of the Environment, she was a Renewable Energy Fellow followed by a program manager position at Grid Alternatives, a nonprofit organization that brings the benefits of solar technology to underserved communities. And this past summer she worked at EDP Renewables as a Government Affairs Summer Associate.
Travel was another of Rebecca’s passions. After high school, she went to Piestany, Slovakia as a Rotary Exchange student. She spent the summer of 2011 working in Morocco with a group of 10 fellow Lewis and Clark students building and staffing a human rights cultural center in the impoverished district of Hay Mohammadi in Casablanca. After graduating from college, she spent a year in Strasbourg, France perfecting her French. In the summer of 2014 she worked on a farm in Italy as a WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) volunteer. With Grid Alternatives she traveled to Dhapchung, Nepal in September 2016 to install a solar system for a community of 200 Tamang people and then trekked the Annapurna circuit with friends.
Rebecca preferred riding a bike to owning a car. She loved golf, skiing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, running, and the outdoors. Her 30th birthday celebration was spent with friends camping at Mount Hood. She earned letters in tennis, skiing, and golf all four years of high school and was captain of her varsity golf team at Lewis and Clark. She was an avid reader and carried books everywhere.
She helped her Dad with a months-long restoration of a 1930 John Deere GP tractor and accompanied him to the Two-Cylinder Tractor Expos in Waterloo, Iowa. She made lifelong friends with many other tractor enthusiasts.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM on Friday, October 5, 2018, at the Church of St. Dominic in Northfield. A visitation to celebrate Rebecca’s life will be from 3 to 7 PM, Thursday, October 4, at the Church of St. Dominic. Visitation will continue on Friday for one hour prior to the funeral. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery.
Memorials are preferred to the Sierra Club or to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Arrangements are with the Bierman Funeral Home (www.biermanfuneralhome.com).
Vickie and Greg, I can not imagine the loss and sadness you are experiencing. I pray for God’s love to embrace and comfort you.
Vicky, Greg, John and family, our hearts are broken to hear of Rebecca’s passing. Please know our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time. Love, Jeanne and John
Langer Family my heart is so heavy to hear this news. My prayers are with you all during this difficult time. She was a great classmate in school and will be missed.
Vicky & Greg, I was so sad to hear of Rebecca’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Love, Kim & Rich Sunde
Rebecca brought great energy to French classes at L&C and to our study abroad program in Strasbourg. She was a fearless socializer and one of the people who planned the group hangs that made the trip memorable. We weren’t really more than acquaintances/classmates, but I have a lot of positive memories from college that include her. My thoughts are with her family and close friends.
I can’t imagine how hard this must be for all of you. Our family grieves with you.
My deepest sympathies to the family in this time of great loss. Prayers are with you.
Dear Vicky, Greg, and Family ~
Our family is holding you close in our hearts! We are thinking of you and want you to know we are so deeply sorry to hear of Rebecca’s passing.
All our Love,
The Halls, The Cottons, and The Jacks.
Vicky, Greg, John and family- We are all so saddened by the news of Rebecca’s passing. We have fond memories of John, Rebecca and our kids playing up at the cabin when they were young. We hope you find comfort in your many happy family memories. Our hearts and prayers go out to you all. With love, Natalie & Jim Haley
So sorry to hear about your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. With love, Steve, Karen, Christopher and Nathaniel.
I just heard the news and am crushed, Greg and Vicky. My heart goes out to you. I know what a joy she was in your lives and cannot imagine your sorrow at the loss of this amazing young woman. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Rebecca was one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known. I worked with her at GRID and trecked with her in Nepal. She was truly a gem. My thoughts and love go out to her family and friends.
My deepest sympathy to the Langer family and friends. May the God of comfort strengthen you at this difficult time and keep her close to your hearts and minds. Jeremiah 29:11-13
My heart aches for the Langer family. May you find peace.
Our hearts are broken and we send love and prayers to the entire family during this time of great loss. Rebecca has made a difference in so many lives and will be forever remembered as such special person….hugs…
Rebecca,
You will always be in my heart. Your beautiful soul will be remembered. My prayers are with your family.
Love,
AB
Rebecca was a kind, thoughtful person who put her whole self into everything she did. I met her at Lewis and Clark, and we became friends during our time in Strasbourg. She was an awesome travel buddy, and absolutely fearless when it came to trying new things. I have some really great memories with her that I will hold dear. My deepest sympathy goes out to her family and friends. She will be remembered, and missed.
My deepest sympathy to Rebecca’s family and friends. I will always cherish our childhood friendship, she was a beautiful person inside and out. Prayers for comfort during this difficult time.
Rebecca was a truly beautiful person. I first met her when she interned with us at BirdLife in Brussels and I will forever remember her wit and good humour, her passion for everything and her commitment to make this planet a better place. She has a special place in the heart of many.
I will miss her and I wish to embrace all those who loved her and will be sharing her memory.
Rebecca will be dearly missed by all who knew her. She was a passionate, adventurous and through and through, a kind and thoughtful person who brought a lot joy to those around her. Most of all, she was dedicated to making the world a better place, and she did that and more in her time here with us. My full condolences and sympathy goes to your family.
Greg and family, so sorry to hear about your daughter! A full life! We will keep all of you in our prayers! Linda and Dave Boyenga
Greg and Vicki, Debbie and I were out of town on the 28th of September and just learned about your loss. You both are in our hearts and prayers. We just talked to her a year ago at the Heywood celebration in honor of Greg and told her that her depiction of her dad was heartfelt and eloquently put. We commented that she could be a writer because she spoke so beautifully and compassionately. She will never be forgotten as she will live on inside everyone she touched. It sounds like she made a difference in so many lives and we all were blessed for knowing her. Much love to you both. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to call us.
Deepest condolences, thoughts & prayers for you, Rebecca’s family, at this time of loss. May the wonderful memories of her love/life sustain you. ~ No love, no friendship can ever cross our path without affecting us in some way… forever! ~ JH