Thomas Arden Langrud

Thomas Arden Langrud passed away on March 6, 2026, at Brookstone View in Broken Bow, Nebraska, after a short illness, with his wife Mary at his side.

Born on February 19, 1932, on the family homestead near Lougheed, Alberta, Canada, to Norwegian parents Knute and Kristine (Wold) Langrud, Thomas was deeply proud of his Norwegian and Canadian heritage. He attended Groveland School, Lougheed School, and Central High in Sedgewick, Alberta. In the fall of 1950, he left school to help his father with the harvest and farmed the family homestead for the next 15 years. After his parents passed, he pursued higher education at Minot State College in North Dakota, earning a four-year degree in accounting in 1969. It was there, through his sister Pauline, that he met Mary Heath in 1967. The couple married on August 14, 1970, at the First Presbyterian Church in Broken Bow. They made their home in Nebraska, where Thomas worked as an accountant for several local businesses, including Broadway Market, Cash and Carry Lumber, and BD Manufacturing for 24 years.

Thomas and Mary raised three sons, Mark, Eric, and Kurt. Every summer the family traveled to Lougheed to spend time on the family farm, visiting relatives and friends. After retiring from BD Manufacturing in 1997, Thomas returned each fall to help with the harvest. Mary joined him after her own retirement from teaching in 2006. The couple continued their cherished trips to Alberta until health concerns slowed them in 2012, making one final family journey in 2019.

A man of quiet faith, Thomas was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church north of Lougheed and taught Sunday school there as a young man. Later he became a member and elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Broken Bow. He had a lifelong love of antique cars, farm machinery, threshing shows, and historical museums. He also enjoyed curling and ice hockey, often flooding the backyard each winter to create an ice-skating rink for his sons, family, and friends. He found great joy in tent camping with his family at campgrounds across central Nebraska and during their annual drives to Alberta.

Thomas was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Pauline (Ed) Redding and Dorothy (Al) Vinge; his best friend Gus Probst; his beloved nephew Phil Therou; his father- and mother-in-law Clinton and Mary Heath; and his brother-in-law Charles (Jan) Heath. He is lovingly remembered by his wife Mary; sons Mark (Andrea), Eric, and Kurt (Niki); grandchildren Elizabeth, Ethan, Brynley, and Noah; nephews Vic Therou, Dave (Cheryl) Vinge, Don (Reggie) Vinge, and Barry Vinge; niece Leslie (Jim) Franzmeier; brothers-in-law Bob (Patty) Heath and Burt (Maggie) Heath; and many extended family members and friends. Tom will be remembered for his kindness and his deep, enduring love for his family and friends, especially the special joy his grandchildren brought him, even at his 94th birthday gathering in February.