GTwizard has passed

[Alan92RTTT]

http://www.3si.org/forum/f93/gtwizar...passed-755730/

Hello Texas Chapter,

This is Ryan, Don's youngest son. (Dad's account is still logged in) Many of you all probably remember me as rynz3s from about 10-12 years ago. I'm trying to get logged back in to make a post. I wanted everyone to know that dad passed yesterday morning. It was VERY unexpected for all of us. Sheriffs department says it was likely a stroke, heart attack, or an aneurysm. Good news is that he went very suddenly and quick without suffering. Mom wasn't doing so well, but all of us boys are here now. I finally showed up this morning at about 430. Got here quicker driving 11 hours from NW FL than jumping on a flight.

Dad and I built the silver bullet (N/A) when I was 16 years old, 12 years ago. I joined the military 9 years ago and left the car with him after introducing him to the community. I have visited from time to time, but dad and I spoke on the phone EVERYDAY, nearly 2-3 times per day. He was my best friend, my dad, my everything! As the baby of a family of 4 boys, dad and I naturally bonded most. Mom was pretty hysterical yesterday, but she is doing much better today now that I am here.

Mom and I scheduled the funeral arrangements today and it is open to all friends and 3SI members that have had the joy of working with or mentored by my father. Here is the information:

Ingram Funeral Home
1462 E Quinlan Pkwy
Quinlan, TX 75474

Service is Friday at 2, showing at noon. Please share this with all that knew my father. It shows via the 3SI Community and FB that he was an inspiration to all. This is a tough loss for everyone and we, as the family, understand that, so we have opened this invitation to all. Dad was never into the suit and tie. He's going to be dressed in slacks, jacket and the 13th Annual TX Gathering shirt. He died doing what he loved most... working on our beast; the NA/Silver Bullet.

We have also started a gofundme. Dad did not have life insurance nor a savings. Mom doesn't have the money for the service or the ability to cover for some of the distant family's travel arrangements. Thankfully, my wife and I are able to cover these expenses, however, mom is going to be financially struggling. If you cannot donate to help mom, that is perfectly fine. Though we do ask that you pray, share the gofundme on social media, and come show your support for such a wonder friend, and loving father and husband of 42 years.

https://www.gofundme.com/m7vhbt3g

Ps. I am trying to get in touch with the 3SI admins to see if they'll post the attached banner. Will someone please help with that. It would really be nice if it were shared on the homepage with the link to mom's gofundme.


Thank you all! Love you Dad!

- Ryan (rynz3s) Langlois

[j2k4]

Ah, this breaks my heart.

[FeaRpb]

[OhioSpyderman]

I'm pretty sure I noticed his name tag at one of the Indy NG's, but never had the opportunity to introduce myself.
I do remember that he had some very insightful things to say when he posted (mostly on 3si) and seemed very willing to help any and all in need.

Rest in Peace sir.

Bob.

[J-Groove]

Going to be a sad day on Friday.

-John

[Boomer3000]

Super sorry to hear this. Man can't even imagine. My prayers go to his family.

[vooch]

I am posting the transcript of Don's eulogy which was performed by one of his close friends, former boss and long-time customer--Dan Zimmerman. I know those 3S'ers present at his funeral service were very touched and amused by this talk and felt like it was a spot-on characterization of who Don was and how he lived his life. Thanks to Dan for sharing and I trust everyone enjoys this fitting tribute to the 'one and only, never to be repeated and always ornery' GT Wizard. R.I.P.

Eulogy for my Friend, Don Langlois
March 25, 2016

Don Langlois was my colleague, my mentor, my mechanic, my designer and my engineer. Together we were philosophizers and occasionally drinking buddies, often those two things at the same time.

Don’O was my friend.

Over the years we worked together on a diverse range of projects. In every one of them, large or small, he approached them with intensity, making quick study of background and supporting materials, giving deep consideration to how to apply what he learned to the task at hand, visualizing the plan end to end, and always executing with skill and with artistry. If that describes the character of an intellectual, then I guess that hits the nail on that sweet round head of his.

His obituary reads that he spent a career in sheet metal fabrication; now if that doesn’t oversimplify, understate and serve to distort the impression a casual observer might make of him I don’t know what would. Those of us who knew him know that doesn’t even scratch the surface. I have thought about words and phrases to describe him. Renaissance man has come to mind. Prodigy. Savant. Genius. Self-taught engineer and scientist. Whatever the label, Don had a beautiful mind. He took pride in what he produced with his hands but impressed even more with what he practiced in his mind; that gifted ability to visualize things end to end.

His mom wouldn’t have argued with that, when he was 4 years old he fixed her broken watch. He spent hours sitting on the washing machine with the door open, pressing the buttons observing the operation, finding particular fascination in the spin cycle. When he was 12, despite being teased and doubted he adapted an abandoned chainsaw motor to an old bicycle that he and his siblings enjoyed to the envy of those doubters for years and years. He turned this reputation for turning wild ideas into useful things, into a way of life.

Now that doesn’t mean some of these wild ideas all resulted in invention. Believe me. He was keen on doomsday scenarios. He could always tell you where the most recent earthquakes had occurred and at what magnitude. He followed trends in natural disaster and whether they are of earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, tornados, melting ice caps, floods, droughts, and tsunamis he figured they were all signs that the end was near. He was suspicious of world leaders in government, religion and industry and held a soft spot for whacked out ideologues. He believed in the threat of the New World Order. And no less the extraterrestrial threats of wayward comets, solar storms and yes aliens from another planet.

Of course what Don and I shared the most was our passion for the automobile. We shared the same eclectic attraction to cars and could find the good, the beauty and worthiness in anything from any old Ford to the finest Ferrari, although his tolerance for disrepair and rough edges was quite a bit higher than mine; that being yet another example of that end to end thought process of his. Meanwhile all I could see was the ugly end of some hopeless beater!

Don worked on a lot of my cars and evidently always had a lot of fun doing it. I don’t know if others here today whose life and car Don touched know this or not, but at least for me it is uncannily consistent how one of these sons of his out here will spill the beans fondly about Don doing donuts in one of my cars. Hell, I never did donuts in my cars. You know, looking back there was a time when Don was using my Suburban for a month or so. It’s hard to imagine but I guess if anyone could do a donut in a Suburban it would be Don. I guess that’s par for the course for a guy who loved to recommend the “Italian Tune Up” to all his clients.

He once admitted to me that one of the reasons he was so good at working on cars was because he was pretty good at breaking them too. And from what I have discerned, evidenced by the number of “project cars” cars strewn around the property he passed at least half of that DNA on to his boys. Don once scolded me when I asked if he could help me fix my car, he said “I don’t fix cars, I prepare them”.

His reach in the car world did not end at the shop set up outside his home. He was a widely known, globally sought after authority among owner’s of Mitsubishi V6 equipped cars, his own having become somewhat of a legend among the GT3000 and Stealth crowds. He had fiercely loyal customers who all became his friend. And I think we all loved him for who he was not just because he never charged us what he actually deserved!

Don built and prepared the Porsche of one of my best friend who of course in turn became a good friend of Don’s. Don had designs of trailering and delivering that car out to SoCal himself but I had other ideas. To his chagrin and complete disapproval I convinced our friend that we should DRIVE that car from Texas to California. Don was so mad. I know it can be hard to tell, but when he starts that shuffling around, moving that big head of his around making those quiet grrrs you know he isn’t happy. He was NOT comfortable with us taking this fresh build on a 1500 mile road trip through the desert. As it turned out Don was figuratively riding shotgun the whole trip. You see we called him repeatedly to walk us through one glitch after another, first it was the window lifts then it was the air fuel ratio, how to make the heater work, then an oil leak, every time Don was at the ready, getting us back on the road via remote control, albeit with a few I told you so’s.

So, what word did I land upon that best described Don to me? Meriam Webster defines it as “having or showing special skill or knowledge because of what you have experienced, been taught or taught oneself”. The word is Expert.

Not surprisingly, Don made an important impression on my son, who tweeted days ago about Don as “someone I’ve looked up to since I was little” and “sometimes you just aren’t ready for someone to go”. So now, instead of asking Don what to do, we are all left to ask ourselves what Don would do. I am sure that makes him very happy.

Don was a family man. He certainly found his soul mate in Filomena, and they produced four sons each of which he held a unique and special relationship. To these boys he was, protective of, supportive of, proud of, in awe of; father of. Husband of, brother of, son of, friend of.

We all know about the house he built, it was really just another properly conceived and executed Don’O project. What endures is the home he helped make it into; that was the true accomplishment.

I don’t think either of us was much on organized religion but I can say of the man I knew that he was a man of faith and of spirit. Don was a dreamer and a doer, and by the way I measure it, was a very rich man.

I like to think that life after death is here on earth, in the legacy we leave behind in deeds and ideas and in the hearts and minds of our survivors. If that legacy is the final judgment then Don is surely on the good side of the great beyond. I once heard that all travel is circular and as such the round trip is simply the inspired man’s way of coming home, welcome home Don’O.

Dan Zimmerman
3/25/16

[Jesters Deadd]

RIP GTWizard
A Texas Legend

[bearded1]

Just found this. Sad to hear... I'm just starting to get back into the game after a hiatus and was actually about to go look for one of his threads for inspiration and saw this just before. Always enjoyed his insights and stuff he had to contribute. He will be missed.