Charlotte Langston

Charlotte R. Langston, 69, of Bettendorf, died Thursday, August 4, 2011 at her residence after a long battle with cancer with the help of Genesis Hospice, surrounded by her family.

Charlotte was born September 7, 1941 in Quincy, Illinois, the daughter of Charles & Virginia (Robertson) Ebberson. She was united in marriage to Howard H. Langston on August 6, 1960 in Davenport.

After her children began attending school full-time, Charlotte began work at J.C. Penney. In 1978, she attended college and, upon graduation, began work as a transportation specialist at the Rock Island Arsenal. During her time there, she received several commendations for exceptional performance. She retired from the Arsenal in September, 2005.

Her love for her family was immeasurable. The threat of wind, rain, sleet, snow, or debilitating chemo treatments, could not keep her from spending time with her family. Attending events like dance, music and athletics, everyone knew that Grandma Charlotte would be there in the crowd, cheering them on. They also knew that there was always a place at dinner for another person. After all, someone needed to test out that year’s “prune surprise.”

Charlotte was an avid reader of John Grisham novels. She also loved politics and could be counted on for a spirited discussion on current events, regardless of the topic. Most of all, however, she loved football and the Chicago Bears! Super Bowl Sunday was like a national holiday at Grandma’s house.

She loved to travel and share these experiences with her family. Hawaii, Alaska and Ireland are a few of the places she was able to take her loved ones to over the years. When she was not traveling, she turned her attention to home projects. Charlotte had a love for painting, as in rooms, not canvasses. She had that knack for design and was never afraid to try something new that she saw on HGTV, even if her family’s homes had to serve as the template. “Hardware Hank,” as her husband affectionately called her, was the founder of “Company Tool,” and was everyone’s go-to person when it came to projects around the house.

Those left to honor her memory include her husband, Howard; her daughter and son-in-law, Shari & Chris Terry of Bettendorf; her sons and daughters-in-law, Mike & Laura Langston of Davenport and Daniel & Kelly Langston of Bettendorf; her grandchildren, Brooke (& Trever), Brad (& Theresa), Danielle (& Art), Jamie, Michael, Missy (& Fred), Jessie (& Ryan), Angie, Kelsey, Kinzie; her great-grandchildren, Joey, Alexis, Airianna, Leah, Makenzie & Ava; her brother and sister-in-law, Lewis & Mary Ebberson of Davenport; and her special nephew, Pete (& Bonnie) Fontenoy of East Moline.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Merle; and her sister, Judy.

She taught us to follow our dreams. We will as we cherish the love we have for her.

A service to celebrate her life will be held on August 9 ^th , 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at the Vineyard Church in Davenport. Burial will be in Rock Island National Cemetery at a later date. Memorials may be made to Genesis VNA Hospice.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to Dr. Costas Constantinou, Dr. Stephen Sorensen, and Genesis Hospice.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Charlotte’s obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.