Valera Joyce Langford

Valera Joyce Langford, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on Jan. 11, 2025, at the age of 95 in Allen, Texas, leaving fond memories and a legacy of courage and strength to the many family members and friends who loved her throughout her long life.

Val graduated from Graham High School and was a long-time resident of Fort Belknap. She was born Valera Joyce Cook in Round Timber, Baylor County, Texas, on March 23, 1929, the daughter of Frank and Thelma Cook (Brown), who preceded her in death.

Viewing and visitation will be held Thursday, Jan. 16, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Morrison Funeral Home in Graham. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at Morrison Funeral Home. Mourners are asked to donate to their favorite charity in lieu of flowers.

Val was working behind the counter at a drug store on the square in Graham when a young soldier back from service in World War II spied the beautiful high school coed and promptly informed her that he intended to be her husband. Val and Wyndall Luther Langford were married on June 10, 1946. Their marriage produced two sons – Wyndall Mark Langford, 73, of San Antonio, Texas, and Phillip David Langford, 71, of Allen.

Soon after their marriage, Val and Wyndall moved to Abilene, Texas, where they raised and nurtured their family. Wyndall worked in the insurance industry and in the oil patch. When Mark and David were still small boys, Val applied for a parttime sales position with Sears to earn some extra Christmas money. She ended up working for Sears for almost 40 years, in Abilene, Oklahoma City and Graham, becoming a beloved co-worker to her many colleagues at all three stores. She also worked at Beall’s Department Store in Graham and volunteered at the local food bank.

In 1980 Wyndall and Val retired to Fort Belknap, where they nurtured flower and vegetable gardens, including annual stands of corn, melons, cucumbers, and beans. She loved making award-winning plum jam and other tasty delights for David, his wife Sherry and their three children, who lived just a hundred yards away. Val maintained their homestead, gathering pecans and mowing the fields well into her 80s.

Val was a woman of deep faith and a member of the First Baptist Church of Graham. Her faith and determination helped her recover from a stroke that partially paralyzed her hand in the early 1980’s. She also steadfastly cared for Wyndall during a long illness that took him away in 1997. 

Survivors include Mark, his wife Claudia, step-granddaughter Carthy Bouressa Shelton and her husband Rob Shelton and step-great-grandchildren Lyla Summa and husband Matt Hendrickson, Kyrie Bouressa, Ava Bouressa and Henry Bouressa; David, Sherry, three grandchildren, Colby David Langford, his wife Pennie, Alicia Lavon Langford, and Mandy Leigh Hodges and her husband Adam Hodges and great-grandchildren Cade Langford, Claire Langford and Eli Hodges.

Val is also survived by a sister, Shirley Ann Hawkins of Fort Belknap, and two brothers, Jack Cook of Graham and Gerald Brown “Brownie” Cook of Throckmorton. Val was preceded in death by her brother, Harrell Franklin Cook and sisters Thelera Anna Cook and Doris Marcheta Holder.

Val will always be loved and never forgotten by her extended family and numerous friends.