Celebrating the lives of Gordon Lang and C. Edward Good: Beloved Friends and Neighbors in the Jackson, NH Community

GORDON LANG

VISITING HOURS
Friday, June 9
5-8pm
Furber & White Funeral Home

&
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Saturday, June 10
10am
Jackson Community Church

Immediately followed by
Jackson Village Cemetery
graveside service


Biography:

Gordon Wheeler Lang, 87, of Jackson and Great East Lake, Wakefield, died Saturday, May 20, at Golden View Health Care Center in Meredith, after a period of declining health due to COVID-19. Gordon was surrounded by his family throughout the last week of his life.

Gordon was born in Wolfeboro, on Aug. 19, 1935. He was the oldest child of the late Joseph W. and B. Katherine (Wheeler) Lang. While Gordon was born in New Hampshire, his parents soon moved to Abington, Massachusetts. Gordon spent summers and vacations with both sets of his grandparents in Wakefield, Sanbornville and Brookfield, helping his grandfathers around their farms. This is when he first developed a love for trains, and he would help his grandfather flag the trains through the downtown Sanbornville crossing. That Flag Station would later be bought by his grandmother and moved to Great East Lake to become the center of The Lang Camp. Gordon enjoyed summertime at the lake since 1947.

Gordon attended school in Abington, Massachusetts, and graduated from Abington High School in 1953. He was involved with the Boy Scouts and Grange. Gordon enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic training, he was stationed in Japan from 1955-57 providing support for building runways for the Air Force. He was honorably discharged from the army in Jan. 1958, and honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Reserves on Jan. 31, 1963. Gordon received the Good Conduct Medal for his service.

While spending time at Great East Lake during the summer of 1959, he met his future wife, Eleanor J. Davis. They began their married life in Brockton, Massachusetts, but decided to move back to her hometown of Jackson in 1963. Gordon worked in the Valley for the rest of his life. He worked for Yield House Furniture as the quality control manager until they closed. After Yield House closed he was an EMT for North Conway Ambulance. He then worked with the Hartmanns to establish the Hartmann Model Railroad & Museum.

All the while he continued to work at the Conway Scenic Railroad from its beginnings until the Fall of 2019. While driving home from work in 1972, Gordon thought he saw a light on in the North Conway Roundhouse. The next day, when he returned from investigating, he was even more excited to share that Dwight Smith was planning on opening a scenic railroad. From then on, weekends and vacations, Gordon could be found volunteering and then working at the railroad even throughout his “retirement” years. He started out as a trainman, fireman, and moved to conductor, but kept requesting to be trained as an engineer.

Gordon was 69 years old when he got the call to see if he wanted to train to be an engineer. Gordon loved being a train engineer, he loved training and mentoring new engineers, and it was always a great day if he had someone riding in the engine with him. Gordon was also active in forming the North Conway Model Railroad Club and was a member for the rest of his life. Some of the first meetings were held at his house with his layout.

Gordon also served his community in many other ways. He became a member of the Jackson Fire Department in 1966, and never retired, but did stop responding to active calls. Gordon spent 42 years with NH Forest Service, the majority as the Jackson forest fire warden. After taking a course with Otto Ninow, he helped him do his yearly first aid courses for ski patrol and ambulance members. In 1982, Gordon joined as an original member of the Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance, until 2022 and he was also an instructor for many years at SOLO of Conway. Gordon was a long term member of the Glen Grange and Mount Washington Valley Stompers. In addition, for a decade, Gordon was an Auxiliary Marine Patrol member at Great East Lake. He was a member of the Great East Lake Improvement Association for over 40 years.

While Gordon was involved with many different activities, he tried to make any events that were near to support his grandchildren, whom he was incredibly proud of. There were few people that did not hear about what Christopher, Courtney, Adam, and Caitlyn were doing from the time they were born. Amazingly, all his great-grandchildren love trains, so it appears that his love of trains will live on.
Gordon was predeceased by his beloved wife of 38 years, Eleanor “Ellie” (Davis) Lang; his parents, Joseph W. and B. Katherine (Wheeler) Lang; his companion of 24 years, Vivian Eastman; his brother, Robert W. Lang; his sister and brother-in-law, Beatrice (Bright) and Robert D. Davis; his sister-in-law, Carmen (Davis) Knapp and her husband, Richard Knapp; his brother-in-law, Jimmie A. Larkin Sr.; his foster brother, Fred Miller; his nephews, Robert “Bobby” Knapp and Randy Davis; and his great-granddaughter, Parker Marie Baldwin.

He is survived by his daughters, Kathleen “Kathy” (Lang) McKay and her husband Ron of East Wakefield, and Debra “Debbie” (Lang) Crowther and her husband Kenny of Jackson. Gordon’s legacy will live on with the younger members of his family, including his grandson, Christopher J. McKay and his wife Ashley (Lizotte) McKay and their children Mya Eleanor and Maverick John McKay of East Wakefield; Courtney Elizabeth (McKay) Smith and her husband Joshua E. Smith and their sons Landon John and Weston Davis Smith of Bennington; Caitlyn Mary (McKay) and her husband Robert S. Baldwin and their son, Lincoln John Baldwin of Dover; and Dr. Adam Charles Crowther of Pittsboro, North Carolina.

He also leaves his sister, Marcia Katherine (Lang) Larkin of Pottsboro, Texas; his foster sister, Dorothy (Miller) Magoon of Northboro, Massachusetts; his nieces, Rebecca “Becky” (Knapp) Keyes of Center Tuftonboro, Dawn Marie (Larkin) Briggs of Waseca, Minnesota, Maureen (Davis) Kermode of Vernon, Connecticut, Tanya Lang of Palmer, Arkansaw, and April (Lang) Musick of Seattle, Washington; his nephews, Dean R. Davis of Jackson, Rick Davis of Jackson, Warren Larkin of Pottsboro, Texas, and Sam Lang.

The family would like to thank the staff at Golden View Health Care Center for the loving care that they provided for Gordon. His family would also like to express their appreciation and thanks to Compassus Hospice Care of Bedford, especially Kaylee, for their support during the last month of his life.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Gordon on Friday, June 9, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Furber & White Funeral Home, 2925 White Mountain Hwy, North Conway.
His memorial service will be on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m., at the Jackson Community Church, 127 Main St., Jackson. There will be a graveside service immediately after the service at the Jackson Village Cemetery, Mill Street, Jackson.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Gordon may be made to Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance Services, 90 US-302, Glen, NH 03838; Jackson Firefighter’s Association, 54 Main St., Jackson, NH 03846; or Great East Lake Improvement Association, P.O. Box 911, Sanbornville, NH 03872.

ED GOOD

CELEBRATION of LIFE
Sunday, June 11
1-3pm

Great Glen South Field (white tent)

  • Sandwiches and salads served. Bring your own beverages.
  • RSVP via email to his family.

Biography:

C. Edward Good of Jackson, N.H., and formerly of Lexington, Mass., died on Jan. 26, 2023.

He was the beloved husband of the late Rosemary (Dentino) and loving father of Andrew and his wife, Laura Good, of Mooresville, N.C.; Michael and his wife, Therese Good, of Wilmington, Mass.; Sally and her husband, Barry Neal, of Bedford, Mass.; and Robert and his wife, Jeannie Good, of Cary, N.C. Loving grandfather of James, Bobby, Alyson, Gregory, Melissa, Brian, Amanda, Colleen, Heather and Robyn. He is also survived by a sister Donna Paradis and her husband, Brian; sister-in-law Margareth; and stepsons, Jeff Hayes and Scott Hayes.

Edward graduated from Brandeis University in the class of 1960 on a full basketball scholarship. He earned master’s degrees in mathematics, education, and computer science and made is career as a high school teacher at Lexington (Mass.) High School.

Upon retirement, he lived his dream with his wife Rosemary in Jackson, N.H. He was an avid outdoorsman and expert wood turner. He did it his way.

Private funeral arrangements through Shawsheen Funeral Home in Bedford, Mass.

Volunteer, mini-golf, walk, dine, dance, host, and connect with JCC and other nonprofits

HAVE FUN and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Volunteer for JCC’s ecumenical lemonade stand at Pride, play mini golf for Jens Friends, attend the gala for Gibson Center, boogie at Boots n Bling for Starting Point, volunteer for Way Station’s Circles startup team, host hospitality at church, help at the May 20th Plant Sale, become a virtual deacon for zoom with church, and more!

Sat, May 20th Plant Sale @ JCC
9am-Noon

Help in one of these ways:

  • Drop off seedlings, house plants, cuttings and other garden and yard gleanings during the week prior to the sale. They may beleft outside beneath the outer stairwell. Pots and popsicle sticks for labeling plants are on site.
  • Come early on Saturday if you want to help the missions team with the plant sale.
  • Drop by the plant sale to acquire plants for your house, garden, or yard.

Proceeds benefit people in need of shelter in the valley and abroad, particularly refugees.

MINI GOLF for JEN’S FRIENDS
June 2 • 10am –
4pm

Join us at Pirates Cove Mini Golf for a Jen’s Friends fun,fund raiser! 100% of your $10. ticket goes to Jen’s Friends!

Click the link to register for mini-golf. REGISTER: https://jensfriends.salsalabs.org/minigolf2023

GIBSON GALA
Celebrating Seniors

Thursday, May 11th
Majestic Theater
5:45pm socializing  • 7pm program starts

Renowned radio host Laura Knoy, previously the moderator of NHPR’s The Exchange, will moderate a panel of Valley celebrities.

  • On stage will be artist, musician and actor Mary Bastoni, judge and mediator Peter Fauver, coach and mentor Bernie Livingston and Jen’s Friends Board member, Barbara Theriault for a night of joy and laughter.
  • Also: Silent Auction
  • Features scrumptious hors d’oeuvres by Chef Blodgett and cash bar.

Tickets are on sale now online at https://mountaintop.ludus.com/index.php or by calling the Gibson Center at 603-356-3231.

BOOTS n BLING

Thursday, June 8 • 5pm
Wentworth Inn

Dinner, dancing, entertainment, live auction, and games!

Tickets are now on sale for 2023!  Please click HERE

Save the Date!

JCC WALKS for a CURE
Alzheimers Walk

Oct 14 @ Great Glen
It’s not too early to register with the team, recruit more team members, and start your fundraising. 

Register or donate: http://act.alz.org/goto/eaglesrest2023

To register please go to : Alzheimers Walk, Find and select register, follow the prompts, (you want to Join a team) search for Eagle’s Rest, Our team should come up and you can then Join.

HOST CHURCH HOSPITALITY 
To resume the tradition of hospitality after worship service, we are asking volunteers to host the next few weeks. Put out the snacks and beverages, set up the table, and offer a friendly presence as we socialize after church.

The church provides cold beverages and a few basic snacks such as popcorn, cookies and/or crackers and cheese. We also provide paper goods, coffee, etc. You’re welcome to supplement these offerings, or to use only what the church keeps on hand.

If you’re able to sign up for May 21, May 28, or June 4, please email the church: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org.

We’ll put up an in-person signup option to cover hospitality schedule beyond these first few dates.

ZOOM DEACONS WANTED!

If you attend the worship service remotely, would you consider signing up to be a virtual deacon from time to time? Virtual deacons letpeople into the Zoom meeting, and help make sure anyone in Zoom who wantrs to pray is seen and heard.

Email the church if you’re able to volunteer as a virtual Zoom deacon: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org

JCC Booth and Lemonade Stand @
WHITE MOUNTAINS PRIDE

Sat, June 24
Schouler Park

Setup: 8:30am
Festival: 10am – 4pm
Cleanup: 4-4:30pm

Volunteers needed for 2-hour shifts: Setup.10am-noon, noon-2pm, 2-4pm, cleanup.

Jackson Community Church is one of several sponsors for this event. We’re hosting a booth alongside Nativity Lutheran Church and the Way Station. We’ll offer lemonade, temporary tattoos, and loving support for our LGBTQIA+ community.

Volunteers are welcome to help at the JCC booth or the Way Station table.

WED, May 10 @ 10am: COMMUNITY GRIEF GROUP

Per community request, we’re starting a Jackson-Bartlett grief group. We meet this Wed, May 10 @ 10am in the old red library in Jackson.

Initially to be facilitated by Rev Gail Doktor (trained as hospice chaplain), this group will meet with intention to become peer-led. For more info, contact Rev Gail by email or phone.

No RSVP is required. Come if you’re able. This will be the first in a series, and the frequency of meetings, and format will evolve based on the needs of the group.


Fri, Feb 24 @ 5pm
C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS 

5pm • ZOOM Link and password required. Option:
Bring your adult beverage and your curiosity for a conversation about our sacred texts.
For more information about this study series:

Podcast from BibleProject about the Lord’s Prayer: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/matthew-p10-lords-prayer/

The text is provided below

Matthew 6:13 (NRSVUE)
And do not bring us to the time of trial,[b] but rescue us from the evil one.[c]

,[b] Or us into testing
[cOr from evil.

Matthew 6:13 (RSV)
And lead us not into temptation,
    But deliver us from evil.[b]

[b] Or the evil one.

REMEMBERING: Mary Claire Ballou, Ed Good, Gordon Wood

MARY CLAIRE BALLOU

Our dear friend Mary Claire Ballou, 68, of Glen, N.H., passed away peacefully during the early morning hours on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, after a courageous nine-month battle against ovarian cancer.

She was born on Dec. 24, 1954, to John J. and Dorothy Cronin, grew up in St. Gregory’s Parish in Dorchester, Mass., and was a graduate of Suffolk University in Boston. For many years, she worked as a service representative with the New England Telephone Company and as an Instructional Aide for the Shrewsbury Public Schools. After retiring, she supported her community, volunteering for Angels & Elves and teaching CCD at Our Lady of the Mountains Parish.

Mary Claire will be remembered by so many as caring, friendly, funny, dedicated, strong and brave. She was well known for her gregarious way of connecting with whomever she met. She was always proud of her Irish roots and had the gift of gab even before kissing the Blarney Stone.

She found joy with her toes in the sand, most often with the gals down by lifeguard Chair 7 at West Dennis Beach. She loved finding bargains not only for herself, but for others, and would often surprise her family with outfits she had found on clearance.

Mary Claire was a lifelong Red Sox fan, and she practically grew up in Fenway Park. When her daughter married a Phillies fan, she got satisfaction from mailing her husband a broom when the Sox swept the Phillies. When her grandson Thomas became a Phillies fan, she showed how family came first by watching Phillies games so she could talk about the games with her grandson and strengthen her connection with him.

Mary Claire loved reading and was involved with several book groups, and she enjoyed connecting with her friends through books. She also enjoyed traveling, both internationally and in the United States. Some of her favorite places to explore were Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Family was at the center of Mary Claire’s life. She would always say “Life is good” when her family and friends were with her, when she was planted on the beach or enjoying a home cooked meal. She took the battle with ovarian cancer one day at a time, reminding us, “It is what it is.” Her final goal was to stave off the advancing cancer long enough to be able sit on her favorite beach one more time.

Mary Claire is survived by her beloved husband and best friend of 47 years, William C. Ballou; her daughter Caroline Ballou, her son-in-law, Craig Panzer, and her grandchildren, Thomas and Norah Panzer, who were the lights of her life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Paulist Center at 5 Park St. in Boston on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Paulist Center Boston.

ED GOOD

A brief note to mark a long ans storied life. The family alerted our community that Ed Good, our wryly  humorous friend, fly fisherman, golfer and wood-turner/bowl-maker extraordinaire, died recently. Until a few years ago, he made his home in our community in a house on Rte 16 facing Mt Washington. He was dearly loved and will be deeply missed. He had moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his immediate family in more navigable surroundings. As we learn any updated information, we will share it. Meanwhile, his beloved wife was honored by Ed with a granite bench up at the Great Glen trails, and we’re sure that Ed would appreciate sojourners pausing at her bench to remember them both and share some stories.

GORDON WOOD

The family has informed us that Gordon Wood died. At the request of Barbe and the family, Rev Gail visited him while he was actively dying. The staff at Mountain View was attentive, keeping him company, holding his hand, ‘wetting his whistle’ and murmuring affectionate words to him in his final hours.

While the family will prepare a bio, here is 2015 Conway Daily Sun article about Gordon Wood and our beloved Barbe Brown, his longtime friend and partner, who now lives in Florida near her extended family. If we offered any updated information, we will pass it along.

Glen couple share zest for travel, life together

“They don’t ski anymore, but they’re active as ever as valley volunteers and world travelers.

“We met in 1997 at the chairlift on the South Slope at Cranmore when we were both volunteering for the Eastern Slope Ski Club’s Junior Program,” notes Gordon Wood, who at 86 is two years older than his longtime companion, Barbara Browne.

Barbara (known as Barbie to her friends) says Gordon told her she should “get some updated shapes,” meaning that she should trade in her vintage “straight stick” skis for some newer parabolic shaped skis.

The straight sticks still hang in her garage in Glen. Barbara stopped downhill skiing a few years ago, but she keeps her snowshoes ready to go. Gordon stopped at age 80 or so.

“It’s too easy skiing on the new shaped skis — we gave it up!” he quipped.

But they remain active in the community, far more than many people half their age. In addition to volunteering for the Junior Program, they used to serve as weekend Cranmore ambassadors.

They also have volunteered at the Settlers’ Crossing information office for the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. Barbara also has been active with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s seasonal Elderhostel programs, serving as a cross-country ski tour guide in the woods. The two also assist Starr Moore as volunteers at the New England Ski Museum’s annual Hannes Schneider Meister Cup at Cranmore every March.

“We’re not retired — we can’t seem to find the time to retire. We are retirees involved and having fun in this wonderful Mount Washington Valley,” laughed Barbara with her typical wit and good humor in a joint interview leading up to the Conway Daily Sun’s Love in the Sun series, running daily through Feb. 14 this week as part of the paper’s annual Valentine’s Day celebration.

Always sociable, Gordon and Barbara are regulars at every MWV Chamber After Hours monthly get-together.

“We like to know what’s going on. We love meeting new people, especially all the young entrepreneurs. It keeps us up to date,” said Barbara, adding, “We’re older, so it’s good being with active people.”

Said Gordon, a retired mechanical engineer from Massachusetts: “It rubs off on you. Plus it’s great to win the prizes. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I won a six-pack of Tuckerman’s that I keep in the refrigerator. And Barbara won a stay at a hotel.”

“I’m going to give that gift to my nieces when they come here to visit,” Barbara said.

As a girl, Barbara attended Fryeburg Academy as a dorm student, and that served as her first introduction to the area. Later, she worked in Massachusetts as an executive administrator for a well-known economist. She and her former husband bought land, and after they parted company, she built a house in which she has lived in for 30 years.

A former member of the Melrose Hickory Hawks Ski Club, Gordon began skiing at Cranmore in 1949-50 and remembers meeting skimeister Hannes Schneider once at the Oxen Yoke that was then run by the Ostermaiers. One of his other claims to fame? He was the one-billionth car through the Hampton tollbooth on March 15, 1989. “I got a bunch of tokens, along with coffee and doughnuts,” he related with a laugh.

He and his wife were married for 30 years. They moved to the valley from Wakefield, Mass., in 1975. His wife was eight years younger than he and was 58 when she died in 1995. He met Barbara two years later at Cranmore.

Together now for 17 years, Barbara and Gordon share a a love of travel because they love to experience new cultures.

“We learn a lot history of various countries, and we really enjoy that,” said Gordon, noting they have especially enjoyed their trips to Europe, including Italy and Malta. “We’re a relatively new country here; not like Europe and places like Germany.” Added Barbara, “It’s also about the people we meet.”

They are “people” people, loving a good story and meeting good people wherever they go. They had a great time, for instance, at the Gibson Center for Senior Services’ well-attended annual Valentine’s Auction at White Mountain Hotel on Feb. 5.

Barbara said Gibson Center Director George Cleveland “auctioned off a month’s and then a week’s worth of Meals on Wheels. That was just a great idea. He’s such a natural.”

Gordon frequents the Gibson Center lunches not only because the food is great but also for the camaraderie.

On a serious note, they also share a concern about inadequate facilities for seniors in the valley.”

They hope that leaders will bring to fruition such things as the abandoned proposal to build senior housing at the former Yankee Settlements site that is now planned for a shopping complex at the former North Conway drive-in theater behind Northway Plaza.

“The senior people of the valley need comfortable housing with garages. We do not want to leave the valley as we get older,” Barbara said. Added Gordon: “We seniors don’t want to have to cut grass or shovel snow as we get older. But we would hate to have to leave, too.”

“We love this valley. It has 12 seasons of things to do,” enthused Barbara, adding in an aside to Gordon, “C’mon, let’s go tubing at Cranmore!”

From ziplining at Wildcat and Cranmore’s Adventure Park to touring the world, Gordon and Barbara are never at a loss for fun ways to make the most of their active life together.

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