He was born December 9, 1943 at Mercy Hospital in Laredo, TX to John Stanley Long and Lucy Lanier (Leyendecker) Long. John grew up in Bruni, TX, graduated from Bruni High School in 1962, attended Texas A&I-Kingsville, and joined the US Air Force in 1965. He served two tours in Greece during the Vietnam War Era. John was stationed in Cheyenne, WY and Wichita, KS where he met his first wife, Pamela Lee (Long) Baker, and her two children. They found great humor in the fact that her maiden name was the same as his last name. John and Pam married in 1969.
After his honorable discharge, he moved to Oilton, TX and began his career in uranium mining with Westinghouse and then Mobil. While with Mobil, John lived in Oilton, George West, and Freer, TX; Thoreau, NM; and retired from Mobil in 1996 in Cortez, CO. He and Pam, his loving, adored, and devoted wife of 43 years, moved back to Oilton after retirement to be closer to his parents. After Pam lost her battle with cancer in 2013, John was fortunate to have met and married Carol Alexander Jones in 2015. She was his loving wife, best friend, and helpmate as he went through his own battle with cancer. He was a devoted Christian and a deacon at Trinity Baptist Church-Mirando City, TX. John loved being outside, always finding something to do until the sun went down. He enjoyed gardening, visiting with friends and family, and watching the wildlife around his home and family ranch.
John is survived by and will be remembered by his wife, Carol and his children, James R. Baker, Sherri E. (Gene) Wolf, Gerri L. White, Laurie A. (Kenny) Wood, John F. (Vanessa) Long; his grandchildren James Baker III, Steffanie, and Sandra Baker, Tyler, Kayla, and Clint Wolf, Mason, John "Cody", and Hailey White, Nathan Long, Kenneth, Logan, and Kourtney Wood, Victoria and Violet Long. John will also be fondly remembered by his sisters, Barbara Faseler and Diann Billings and many nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his wife, Pamela Long.
A celebration of the life and death of John will be held at 11:00 a.m. on June 2, 2018 at the Funeraria Del Angel Howard-Williams, 401 Texas, Hebbronville, TX with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The family would like to thank Dr. Lon Smith and his staff at the START Center in San Antonio, TX for the wonderful care and support they provided.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to Trinity Baptist Church-Mirando City, PO Box 190, Mirando City, TX 78369 or ThriveWell Cancer Foundation, PO Box 29331, San Antonio, TX 78229.
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