Earl Wayne Long

August 23, 1936 to July 18, 2016

“Man, your dad is rugged.” In junior high, a gangly boy who was one of my best pals whispered this under his breath to me the first time he laid eyes on my father. It’s true, Earl Wayne Long was a steadfast 6'2", broad shouldered and plucked his shirts from a closet filled with flannel, so he came across as a mite rugged — in a Hollywood kind of a way. He was a fan of rolled-up sleeves, fishing, camping, fresh air and the sun on his face. An ever-present tan only added to his cinematic aura.

Born in 1936 to Harry Long and Gladys Turner, Earl grew up happily wandering the countryside around Huntingtown Township in Gallia County, Ohio, and graduated Wellston High School in 1953. Fibbing about his age so he could start work young, his first jobs included working at the local mill, the atomic plant and the railroad. Long after he left Ohio to join the Air Force, he still referred to himself with a smile as a “hillbilly.” A natural-born brainiac, he worked on complex navigation systems while in the service. After retiring from the military, he went on to become a systems engineer for Eaton-Kenway and Unisys, which brought him to Colorado where he lived out nearly 40 years with the Rockies’ many trout-filled streams as his backdrop. That said, he was a Buckeye at heart and traveled back to Ohio as often as possible.

Although some found Earl’s sturdy presence intimidating, truth be told he avoided confrontation, was known to gently remove snakes from the road so they wouldn’t get run over, cuddled with cats and small dogs when no one was looking, worked hard to transform weedy fields into luxurious, grassy lots so the children of the neighborhood had a safe place to play, made friends easily, and maintained those friendships for a lifetime across great distances. People too big for their britches were his biggest pet peeve and homemade pie was the one thing not safe around him.

Earl quietly passed in his sleep on Monday morning, July 18th, in the comfort of his own bed in Pueblo, Colorado. It was his way to leave nothing to chance, so clearly he planned and subsequently pulled off the ideal exit. At his own request, Earl’s ashes will be spread in Cimarron Canyon in Northern New Mexico. There is a trout stream nearby, no doubt. Because he greatly regretted not being able to make it back to Ohio one last time, a portion of his ashes will also repatriate to his Appalachian homeland.

Earl was loved by extended family and dear friends too numerous to list completely. His sister, Katherine Wickline of Lorain, Ohio, is his last remaining sibling. Earl’s other siblings included Martha Blazer, Edith Mitchell, Imogene Cambell and Charles Paul Long. As for immediate family, he may not have said it often enough but he was terribly proud of his son, Terry Long of Pueblo, Colorado, Terry’s girlfriend Lisa Kastelic-Van Zandt and her daughter Aspen, along with grandchildren Evan Long and Toree Long, and he kept up a close friendship with former spouse Carol Long. And then, of course, there’s me, his daughter, who lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with husband David Bettridge and son Bix Long Bettridge.

Although we all miss him greatly, we understand that he had a long-awaited date to reunite with his much adored wife, Sandra McElrath of Greeley, Colorado. The two of them are likely holding hands and giggling in a corner of The Great Beyond right now. — Brook Long