Lillian Etoile Langhorst

LOCAL MUSIC TEACHER DIES

Lillian Etoile Langhorst, 80, a music teacher in the Three Village School District for over 20 years, died of pneumonia and related causes on June 30, 1995 in Dix Hills, New York. A wonderful pianist, and accomplished choral conductor, she worked with children for many years, chiefly at Minnesauke and Nassakeag Elementary Schools.

Ms. Langhorst was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised by her mother Hulda Lindell Brennan, a native of Sweden who came to this country in the 1920s to pursue a career as a registered nurse. For many years, Ms. Langhorst and her mother made their home in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.

Ms. Langhorst attended Hunter College in New York, and received her bachelor's degree with honors. She was awarded a full fellowship to Smith College where she studied the organ and received her master's degree. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society. She also studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.

She began her teaching career in the New York City Public Schools and taught in Bedford Stuyvesant and other city neighborhoods. She then taught at McKinley Junior High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where she married fellow teacher Mr. Walter Langhorst, with whom she raised her children, Linda and Diane.

Ms. Langhorst and her family moved to Stony Brook, New York in the late 1960s. At this time, Ms. Langhorst continued her teaching career in the Three Village District. She worked with hundreds of children, primarily as a music teacher, choral conductor, and accompanist. She is remembered for her vibrant performances, musical creativity, and ability to motivate and challenge her students.

Ms. Langhorst retired in 1991, and became known in the community as the leader of a local Osteoporosis Support Group, which supplied information to area residents about the disease. In her retirement, Ms. Langhorst also remained an active patron of the arts, and enjoyed local music and theatre, as well as the opera and Broadway theatre in Manhattan.

She is deeply missed by her two daughters, Linda (of Chevy Chase, Maryland) and Diane (of Centerport, New York), and their families. She is survived by her ex-husband, Walter Langhorst (of Port Jefferson). She is also survived by five grandchildren, Stephanie, Matthew, Geoffrey, Tyler and Jonathan, who all miss her very much.