Rodger Dean Langster

On Monday, August 9, 2021 Rodger Dean Langster (aka: RD, Rodger Dean, Rodg, or the good Dr. Langster) took off in his beloved Cessna 210 for the last time. While we may never understand why, his plane went down and he did not come home. Rodger leaves behind a trail of people in his wake whose lives are happier, healthier, and more fulfilled for having known him. His many interests and talents caused him to be exposed to a vast variety of people. He was a pilot, a farmer, a mechanic, a hunter, a fisherman, a motorcycle rider, a lake lover, a musician, an emergency medicine physician, and a family man. He was kind and smart and he loved to have fun. His absence brings significant sadness and a large empty hole in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Rodger Dean Langster was born Monday, October 5, 1964 in Conway, AR to his loving parents Rodger Dale and Loretta Faye (Querry) Langster. Two years later he was honored to become a big brother to his twin sisters Rhonda Langster (Greg Lynch) and Rachelle Evans (Chad). As a student at Heber Springs School District, Rodger had many friends, excellent grades, and success on the football field as a receiver for the Panthers. After graduating from Hendrix College in Conway, AR he attended UAMS Medical School in Little Rock, AR and graduated as an MD in 1992. Following an emergency medicine residency in Detroit Michigan, he accepted his first position in the emergency room at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL where he assisted with the development of the trauma center. This is also where he met his future wife and life-partner, Holly, who he married April 27, 2002.  While blessed with two nieces, Erica Evans and Morgan O’Neill (Nicholas) who he loved immeasurably, he found his life was most complete when he had a child of his own. Lucas Dale Langster was born July 28, 2004. Words cannot express how very much he loved his son. Rodger and Holly returned to Heber Springs in 2003 where he worked at Baptist Health Medical Center – Heber Springs for a short time before joining the ER physician group at Conway Regional Medical Center where he worked until 2017 when he joined the ER physician group at Unity Health in Searcy, AR. Rodger was a lifelong member of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Heber Springs, AR where he served in the music ministry.

Rodger leaves behind all of the aforementioned immediate family along with many cousins, aunts, uncles and his grandmother, Montine Langster. He also leaves behind friends from every place he ever lived and every place he’d ever gone. His kind and gentle spirit drew people to him and is part of what made him a wonderful attending physician to the residents he mentored and an exceptional physician to the patients he served. He will be missed by so many. He was a one-of-a-kind man.

Memorials for Rodger can be made to one of the following:  Calvery Missionary Baptist Church Music Ministry, 301 Atoka Rd., Heber Springs, AR 72543 or Heber Springs High School Athletic Department, Football and Soccer.

The Langster Memorial Service can be watched Live from the First United Methodist Church of Heber Springs YouTube page at fumchebersprings

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