The Langagers have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, starting with being back home.

The area is seeing a trend of several families who are leaving the big city lights bound for the wide-open, starry skies of North Dakota and the comforts of home. Stuart Langager, a Williston High School 1981 graduate, and his family are no exception. They have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving as they are reminded daily how moving back to Williston was meant to be.

Stuart and his wife, Pam, decided to move the family back home this June after being in Atlanta for the past 21 years. They sought the peace, serenity and simplicity that only Williston’s small town community environment could satisfy.

Langager was born and raised in Williston, left after graduating from high school and is happy that he’s had the opportunity to re-connect with 15 of his old classmates since moving back. “We were really looking forward to coming back and being part of a small community again.”

He attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He then received a job with Menard’s management training program in St. Paul, Minn., and worked there from 1985 to 1987.

He then went on to work in marketing for Delta Airlines in Denver, where he provided accounting software to travel agencies. The office closed 11 months later and he moved to Atlanta to work at Delta’s World Headquarters. Here, he had the opportunity to be a part of the IT division and was there for 18 years executing software development and testing. “Delta then merged with Northwest Airlines and I was faced with a decision. I chose to take the retirement package from Delta at the age of 45, along with the free lifetime flight benefits that was included.” His family was excited about this added perk.

With this decision came a new career opportunity that opened in Williston with Thrivent Financial, a 100 year old, Christian-based, member-owned mutual company. “I was having a hard time finding work in the corporate world due to the economy. Human resource departments were freezing openings and jobs in Atlanta and other major cities were scarce,” he said.

Thrivent Financial happened to have three advisors who would be retiring within the next one to five years. The office needed a successor and called Stuart. “With my business background, being a financial advisor was the perfect fit at a perfect time. I’ve always had a passion to work with people along with a commitment to be there for them and meet their needs.”

The transition from big city to small town has been better than expected for the entire Langager family. Pam, who is originally from Denver, works at Trinity Christian School and their son, Bryan is 14 and an eighth grader at Williston’s Middle School. “He loves all the friends he has made,” she said.  “Our daughter, Brittany, is 18 and has found her calling in the Physical Therapy program at Williston State College. We are so impressed with this school and its administration and are delighted with the support it gives the students. ”

The Langagers have been pleased with all the extracurricular activities they have found in Williston and said for a town of this size, Williston has a lot to offer. “We thought giving up the culture, shopping and professional sporting events would be hard, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said Pam. “There are plays at the Entertainment Inc. Theater, parades, the lighting of Harmon Park and plenty of activities that keep us busy. There is a lot of culture to be experienced here.”

Stuart’s parents are Silas and Signe Langager of Williston. “My mother passed away this September and I am so thankful that I was able to be back home and spend time with her before her passing. Words cannot express what that meant to me,” he said. “I have also enjoyed being able to help my father, who is now 93, with projects around the house.”

Other aspects of being back home that the Langagers are thankful for this Thanksgiving are that they get to eat in the family-style restaurants and café’s again. “I’ve really missed that along with the tremendous sense of community that we’ve experienced here since being back.”

Langager also said he’s thankful he no longer has to commute 40 minutes one way. “I now have a three-minute commute and that’s if I go the long way,” he said as he laughed. “We’ve also made some great friends and have had the support of a wonderful church. What took us years to build in Atlanta, we’ve been blessed with in six months of living here. The people are just superb.” Pam added they are extremely happy here and never dreamed how great it would really be.

Stuart is a member of the Lion’s Club and a Boy Scout leader. He is also looking forward to getting back into hunting and fishing next year. “In Georgia, you have to belong to a club in order to hunt, and you’re only allowed to hunt the land that club has purchased. Here there’s so much open land available to anyone, you just have to ask the farmer if it’s ok,” he said. “As far as fishing, I love catching Walleye and Northern Pike, they don’t exist in Atlanta.”

Pam is involved in a woman’s Bible study and also plays the flute and plans to be involved with the City Band in the future. “This is a perfect town for me. Having grown up in Denver and then Atlanta, there’s a safeness I feel here that I didn’t experience elsewhere. It’s a simpler life with a great value system for my children.”

The Langagers couldn’t be happier with their decision to move back home. “The pieces have all fallen into place at just the right time. It’s been a true blessing.”

Contact Stuart at 701-572-7288 or stuart.langager@thrivent.com.

By Angela Kovacs - Williston Economic Development