of Little Rock, AR
June 19, 1941 - July 22, 2025
The Honorable John Wade Langston, age 84, of Little Rock, AR passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 19, 1941 to the late Carl and Muriel Langston.
He loved Little Rock and served the community proudly his entire life. He was on the cover of the October 7, 1957 edition of Life Magazine, featuring Central High School. He was a member of the first graduating class of Hall High. He enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he received superior ratings in marksmanship. He returned to the state of Arkansas and received a BS in Business from the University of Arkansas. After which, he received his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He immediately joined Langston & Langston, a law practice with his father.
He was elected to the Little Rock Board of Directors in 1978 where he advocated and implemented practical improvements for the City of Little Rock, including raises for both the police and fire departments. During that time, he had a fire truck commissioned and named in his honor. He resigned from the Board of Directors when Governor Frank White appointed him to a new Circuit Judge position. Unable to run for that particular position, he ran for 4th Division Circuit Judge where he presided over Pulaski and Perry counties, handling only criminal cases. He served Arkansas in this position from 1983-2008. From 1997-2007, he had 96 percent of his cases affirmed by the Court of Appeals. He attended and became a professor at the Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, where judges nationwide continued their educations in the specifics of their fields. He loved mentoring lawyers, never mincing words, yet giving them advice and encouraging them to study and strategize what was best for their clients and the State of Arkansas. He continued to serve as a judge at-large, substituting for judges and being appointed to complex and controversial trials. He completely retired in 2020, yet he never gave up studying Arkansas law, which he dearly loved.
John was a member of Pleasant Valley Country Club since 1982, where everyone seemed to know his name. As a regular, he spent many hours in the Men's Grill and playing golf, teasing, talking, eating and playing cards. He loved his friends and he showed it with his sense of humor and quiet kindness.
He loved history, especially World War I and II and knew every fact, theory and inconsistency that was ever studied. A masterful storyteller, he could explain every detail in interesting and logical sequence. He was quiet yet firm in his faith, reading his Bible every morning, praying every day and quietly living out his faith by standing for justice and truth in all things.
If asked his greatest achievement, it would be his family. He would shake his head and state that he was constantly surrounded by women and yet, he would have it no other way. He adored his wife, Carol and never understood how he was so blessed to be so well loved by her. He often bragged about how proud he was of his daughters and how good they were to him, constantly telling them how much he loved them. However, his pride and joy were his three granddaughters. He was always available to play, relentlessly tease and get ice cream, especially when everyone else said no. He taught them life skills as he passed down his humor and wit, but most importantly, his legacy of unconditional love. With all of his successes in his career and his life, his best role was being Poppy.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Carol Petty Langston; two daughters, Kelley (Jay) Flaming and Elizabeth (Jay) Creel; granddaughters, Emily Ruth Creel (22), Anna Caroline (20) and Lauren Elizabeth (17) Flaming and nieces, Carla (Allen) Buchanan, Charlotte (Bob) Bomar, Cherie McKnight and Connie McKnight.
He is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Judy Langston McKnight and great-niece, Rachel Allison Rutherford.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to "Verse by Verse Ministries International", https://versebyverseministry.org/ and Christ Community Church https://c3lr.org/.
A visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Sunday, July 27, 2025 at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, 13801 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, AR. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025 in the Chapel of Roller-Chenal Funeral Home with a family burial following at Roselawn Memorial Park.
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8 Condolence(s)
Emily Singh
Friday, July 25, 2025
My love to the family.
Ann Peters
Friday, July 25, 2025
Carol please know you and your family are in my prayers.
Donna & David Roetzel
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Judge John Langston was our neighbor for thirty years -- a true gentleman, and a friend in times of need. One couldn't ask for a better neighbor or a kinder soul. We will miss him dearly.
David H Williams
Thursday, July 24, 2025
My favorite Judge and buddy. He gave me his desk after he was elected. Will miss him.
Sandra McClain
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Thomas M. "Tom" CARPENTER
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Judge Langston's mother and I worked together when I was a law clerk for Justice Darrell Hickman on the Arkansas Supreme Court. We came into contact several times after that, and eventually he asked me to assist him with some matters. It was a great friendship, and I learned a great deal from him about politics, about the law, about the practice of law, and about people. Without a doubt, I was ecstatic when he was elected to the bench. He was a fantastic judge because he realized he was a servant as opposed to being a taskmaster. He recognized that judicial burnout was very possible, and he made sure he had interests outside the courtroom that fulfilled his life. Chief among these was his family, and perhaps ahead of that his faith. We stayed in touch periodically after he took the bench, but we did not share the closeness of when we worked together on matters. I remember one instance when a municipal judge held one of my lawyers in contempt for not agreeing to something that was illegal. I filed a habeas petition to get the lawyer out of lock-up. It landed in Judge Langston's court. He read the papers, but he noted a procedural flaw. Instead of simply denying the petition, he said, "Mr. Carpenter, I sympathize with your position and I am inclined to grant relief. But, at this juncture, I lack (documents) the jurisdiction to do so." I went to get the documents, but I think the awareness of his position (the press was always around) led the municipal judge to back down from a high horse. What he wanted to do judicially, and what he could do jurisdictionally, were not the same, and he was courageous enough to say so, and gracious enough to point out the flaw. Courageous and gracious marked his life. Perhaps his most successful civil case was when several lawyers had turned down a wrongful death claim for a single mother who died when her car was rear-ended by a teenager, her doors were jammed, and her gas tank exploded. He took the case because it was the right thing to do. It turns out the teenager was heir to a major fortune in Arkansas, and John got justice for her children that others turned away. There are so many examples of how his insights were spot on in situations that seemed cut and dried. I have missed our talks. I will miss not having the chance to do so. But, I will always remember a man who assisted me when I needed help, loved his family and showed me how to love, and always took pleasure in helping others. Godspeed, Judge. Tell your mother hello. And, Godspeed to his incredible and loving family.
John M. Comeau
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
May the Perpetual Light Shine Upon him and may he Rest in Peace. Amen
Carla Buchanan
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
In Loving Memory of Uncle John Wade Langston. Before he was a Little Rock judge, a husband, a dad, and a granddad - he was my fun-loving uncle. He taught me how to roller skate, play Go Fish, and laugh a little louder. He loved big dogs, fast cars, bowling, and any board game he could win (or pretend not to care about losing). He was my mom's brother - but to me, he was the one who made ordinary days unforgettable. I'll carry his humor, his spirit, and all those memories with me. And I like to think he's in Heaven no - skates on, tail wagging nearby, and joy in his heart. Miss you, Uncle John.