By Mary Macdonald
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jack Langley was a reluctant retiree, forced from a job he loved by an explosion that damaged his lungs.
Mr. Langley, a captain with the Atlanta Fire Department, retired in 1971 as a relatively young man, following a devastating explosion and fire in a downtown building that injured 18 firefighters.
The blast that cut his career short was in the basement of the Davis Brothers’ restaurant, at 104 Luckie St. The explosion which sent debris flying, came as firefighters carried hoses toward a basement fire.
A front-page story published the following morning in the combined Sunday edition of The Atlanta Journal and Constitution described a chaotic scene of wailing sirens and ambulances rushing to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Langley, who was on-track to become a battalion chief, took a disability retirement and pursued another line of work. He became an electrician. But he never stopped following fires.
“He lived, ate and breathed fighting fires,” said his son, Huston Langley of Lawrenceville. “It was his life.”
John P. Langley, 80, of Lawrenceville died Saturday of heart failure at his home. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Lawrenceville chapel of Tim Stewart Funeral Home.
Mr. Langley, who grew up in Atlanta, had always wanted to be a fireman, his family and friends said. His goal was to become a chief.
A colleague, retired fire Capt. Larry Bennett, said Mr. Langley would have become a battalion chief, had he not been injured. As a fireman, Mr. Langley was rather slim, his friend said. But he made up for the lack of brawn.
“He probably didn’t weigh 150 pounds. But he was intelligent, good with people. He became a leader,” Mr. Bennett said.
His daughter, Sherry Keys, recalls a childhood spent chasing after firetrucks. “It was in his blood,” she said. “He had a passion for it. If he wasn’t on duty, and he saw a firetruck, he’d follow it.”
One Christmas Eve, on the way home from visiting the grandparents, Mrs. Keys said, her father stopped the car when they came across a fire. “He started helping them,” she said. “We were just little kids, watching him on the curb.”
In addition to his son and daughter, Mr. Langley is survived by his wife of 58 years, Betty Langley of Lawrenceville, daughter Janice Djubek of Lawrenceville, son Tim Langley of South Carolina, 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.