Bennett Edward Langley

December 3, 1947 - April 29, 2020
Bennett Edward Langley

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Bennett Edward Langley 72, of Wilmington passed away Wednesday April 29, 2020 at his home.

Born in Wayne County, NC on December 3, 1947 the son of the late Preston Langley, and is survived by his mother Hilda Langley. He was also preceded in death by his sons Daniel and Michael and a son-in-law Gene Browning.

As a Carolina Beach resident he found a passion for the Civil War since he was about 12 years old. He edited books, wrote articles, sold and collected artifacts, lectured, and was a walking historian on the war. He owned and operated Cape Fear Civil War shop at Carolina Beach with friends and he spent many hours looking for artifacts and metal detecting. Throughout his younger years he was an avid fisherman, surfer, and spent countless hours on the strands of Carolina and Kure beaches with his family. He retired from Dupont in Wilmington after 30 years of service.

Also surviving are his wife of 43 years Cheryl Langley; his children Richard (Samara); Michelle Browning (Chris); David (Tammie); daughter-in-law Jennifer; grandchildren Lauren, Madison, Claire, Stephen, Matthew and Tyler; brothers Jerry Langley (Debbie) and Donald Langley, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Friends of Fort Fisher.

There will be a memorial visitation from 5:00 to 7:00 PM Monday, May 4, 2020 at the Wilmington Chapel.

Share memories and condolences with the family by clicking on the “Condolence” tab below.

Wilmington Funeral & Cremation – Wilmington Chapel – 1535 S. 41st Street Wilmington, NC 28403 910.791.9099.


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  • April 30, 2020
    Cherlyn Smith lit a candle:
    Lit since April 30, 2020 at 4:07:07 PM

  • April 30, 2020
    Don and Shirley Millis says:
    Richard and Michelle, we are so sorry for your loss. We will keep you in our prayers.

  • May 01, 2020
    David & Frances Ray says:
    Our prayers are with Hilda and family. We will continue to remember all of you in our prayers.

  • May 01, 2020
    Jonathan, Anita & Collin Anderson says:
    We are very sorry to hear of Bennett's passing. I have known him for over 20 years. I am a fellow Civil War relic collector and Bennett helped me build my collection and filled my head with a lot of knowledge over the years. We visited his shop on beach trips, saw him at shows and later got our goodies while dropping by his house. I considered him a mentor to my collecting. May he be at peace.

  • May 03, 2020
    Harry Parham says:
    So sorry to hear about the passing of Bennett. He was certainly a pioneer of the memories of Fort Fisher and other battlefields of the War Between the States. We had quite a party over 30 years at DuPont and with him goes so. The Friends of Fort Fisher offer our thoughts and prayers to Cheryl and their kids who provided such compassionate and loving care to Bennett in his time of need. Harry P