Raymond Langer, a former Citizen of the Year, state represenative, longtime selectman/town councilor, budget committee member and School Board member, has died at the age of 88.

Langer was well known throughout Hooksett, having dedicated many years of his life to service to the town. In his later years, he could be counted on to stand among the audience at Town Meetings and School District Meetings to question or point out problems with warrant articles, bringing a sense of almost fatherly concern for the decisions being made by the town.

“The town has suffered a great loss with the passing of Ray,” said Leslie Boswak, Hooksett town clerk and tax collector. “Ray has served the town in many capacities including: School Board, Budget Committee, Sewer Commission, Selectman, Sanitary Landfill Committee, Planning Board, Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, Trustee of Trust Funds, Charter Review Commission, Building/Safety Complex Committee, Tri-County Solid Waste Committee, as well as one of the original Town Council members. He shared the honor of being chosen the town’s Citizen of the Year in 1998 with Harold Murray. He has done so much for this community, I’m sure this list is not complete. He will be greatly missed.”

Town Councilor George Longfellow will miss Langer. “Having known Ray for close to 50 years and serving on a number of committees with him such as Budget, Building, Buildout and others I’ve probably forgotten,” he siad, “he was always there to help whenever needed. He will be sorely missed.”

Chip Chabot recalled Langer’s World War II service. “I believe that Mr. Langer was a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot during World War II. Sadly, another member of the ‘Greatest Generation’ leaves us.”

Hooksett School Board member James Sullivan was inspired to go into public service by Langer.

“Growing up in Hooksett as a young adult, Mr. Langer was a big influence on me,” he said. “It was his great sense of community spirit and involvement that inspired me to become involved in town. At many town meetings, I would see him and Lowell Apple stand up and speak their mind with great conviction and common sense.

“In the 1970s he was ‘Mr. Hooksett,’ especially with his weekly Banner column, the ‘Hooksett View.’ Mr. Langer, along with Mr. Apple and Mr. Oscar Morin, were the epitome of public service in Hooksett,” said Sullivan.

Langer was born in Manchester on April 29, 1921. He died in Maine on Sept. 11.

Ray and Elaine Langer married on May 23, 1942.

He served as a pilot flying F-47s in the South Pacific during World War II, as well as in the Korean War doing air intelligence and flying small aircraft and helicopters. He worked many years at NH Fire Insurance Company.