By Roy S. Johnson | rjohnson@al.com
Funeral arrangements for Melva Langford, wife of the late former Fairfield and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford, have been finalized.The native of the Woodward neighborhood in Bessemer passed away on Thursday evening following a long illness, her family confirmed. She was 83.
Public visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. It is located at 6101 DR. Martin Luther King Dr. in Fairfield.
A Links ceremony will occur at 5:30 p.m., with Ivy Beyond the Wall following immediately after. The funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 26. at 11 a.m., also at St. Mary’s.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin ordered flags at city hall to be flown at half-staff.
“Anyone who ever met Melva Langford knew her as a gracious, caring woman who loved her community,” Woodfin said. “She was a dedicated public servant in every way and a wonderful First Lady for our city.”
“She was very compassionate and had a love for humanity,” said former Birmingham City Councilor Steven Hoyt, for whom Melva served as chief of staff for four years. “She was a former First Lady but never carried that air about her. She was there to serve.”
Early in her professional career, as the first African American woman manager at South Central Bell/BellSouth in Birmingham, she was confronted by an angry mob of whites throwing eggs as she entered the building on her first day at work.
“She faced it with impeccable poise, quiet courage and an elegance that could not be shaken,” shared niece LeNa McDonald in a family statement. “As she walked into the building, she didn’t know she would be walking into a career marked by distinction, service and grace.”
After graduating from Brighton High School, Melva attended Knoxville College and earned a degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. In New York, she became a manager at New York Telephone and married Ronald Strothers, Sr., who died in 1965.
She returned to Birmingham with their son, Ronald, Jr., and later married Langford while continuing a career characterized by service.
Larry Langford died on January 8, 2019, 10 days after being transferred from a federal prison in Lexington, Ky. to a hospital in Birmingham. A federal judge reduced his 15-year sentence for bribery and corruption convictions after the former mayor served eight and a half years.
“He’s in good spirits,” Melva shared with me that night, moments after the ambulance arrived with her husband.
It was a moment that embodied the quiet presence she exhibited, a stark contrast to her husband’s flamboyant persona. Yet her nature was not without resolve.
“Her proudest achievement was hiring and mentoring people from her community,” said McDonald, “giving countless families their first foothold towards economic independence and stability.”
Outside the corporate world, Melva displayed entrepreneurial acumen. She owned Guys and Dolls, a long-time staple of Birmingham nightlife that drew noted artists such as Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Bobby “Blue” Bland and singer Z.Z. Hill.
Melva’s faith was manifested in many ways. A member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, she established the youth and young adult ministries and was an active member of numerous committees and auxiliaries.
“She was a workaholic,” he said with a laugh. “She didn’t know how to cut it off because that just wasn’t in her DNA. Not many people know it, but she was on her way to medical school before she met Larry.”
Melva was also a Silver Star member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and a charter/alumna member of the Tri-County (AL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
“A committed partner with her husband, Mayor Langford, Ms. Langford will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know her,” added Woodfin. “May God bless her family and friends in this time of her passing.”
