Dr. Fred Edward Langhorst

Fred Edward Langhorst, 77, of Woodland, CA, passed away on July 31, 2023. He was born on February 14, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the late Fred August Langhorst and Evelyn Deerwester Langhorst. 

Fred, was the beloved husband of Julia Klasson Langhorst, Judy Arpin Oswald and Dr. Beth Calame. He is survived by his children, David Arpin and Lisa (Arpin Styles) Moody, and his grandchildren Corbin Styles and Garret Arpin. He so loved and is survived by his brothers, Bill Langhorst and Gary Langhorst, as well as his cousins, Doug Langhorst, Jacque Lovall, Jim Deerwester, John Coffman, Donna Bruce Morgan, and Jan Palkovich.

Fred had an impressive educational background. He attended Indian Hill Elementary School and Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to pursue higher education, earning a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute, and Engineering Master's degree and Ph.D. from Purdue University. He was a State of Michigan Registered Professional Engineer and also completed the AEA Stanford Executive Institute Leadership Program for Management of High Technology Companies.

During his career, Fred held a variety of engineering leadership positions. He worked at such companies as Decade Software, Intel, Mentor Graphics (now Siemens), Lifetree Software, and General Motors. Most notably his legacy will be as a pioneer in the formation of the now computer-aided 3D mechanical design, simulation, visualization, and documentation industry. Not only was he known for the innovative products produced, but he was well respected personally and professionally for his compassionate leadership and the strong teams that he built. 

Outside of his professional life, Fred was an avid car enthusiast. He could be found at the drag strip most years or a rare car show. He even partnered with one of his brothers and their friends to build the Langhorst Brother’s dragster that raced in Indianapolis and other local tracks. Like his younger brother, he enjoyed the music scene from rock, Jazz and classical.

Fred’s religious upbringing was very important to him. He worshipped during his early years at the Indian Hill Church in Cincinnati, Ohio and later for many years at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, CA.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 1:00pm pacific time at St. Bede's Episcopal Church, located at 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025. An Interment of Ashes in Monterey Bay will be held the following day at 7:00am pacific time, Sunday, September 17, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Fred's memory to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America at https://alzfdn.org/donate/ or at the American Heart Association under the name of Fred Edward Langhorst. To review Fred’s obituary and to leave messages in the Guest Book, please go to https://www.smith-funerals.com/obituaries?query=langhorst.

Fred Edward Langhorst will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched.