Donald A. Long, age 93, of Anderson, gently passed into the arms of his Lord on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Don was born Oct 8, 1925, the second son of Dora (Kleyla) and Dewey C. Long of Elwood, Indiana. He attended Park Place Grade School, Central Junior High, Lindberg Township School and Anderson High School in Anderson, Indiana. He loved listening to The Lone Ranger, Sky King, and Jack Armstrong on the radio, selling bags of homemade popcorn at the Anderson Free Fair, or running downtown with a hard-earned dime to see the latest Tom Mix film.
As a boy, Don enjoyed sledding at Anderson College on the lawn in front of the old President's Office. President Morrison kindly allowed the neighborhood kids to warm up at the building’s steam radiators inside, even assigning a freshman to mop up the melted snow they left. Don never forgot that kindness. As a man, he paid it forward by supporting Anderson University because of that goodness of President Morrison. Don and a brother also appreciated the free YMCA memberships offered by Central Indiana Gas Company where their dad worked. A college-educated YMCA instructor there, Ted Stewart, encouraged him throughout life “to do the very best you can with what you have." Don tried to model that lesson the rest of his life.
His first real job was as a soda jerk at East Side Jersey Dairy. During high school, Don worked through the night as a draftsman at Howe Fire Apparatus.
After graduating AHS in June 1943, Don enlisted in the United States Navy where he trained as an anti-submarine sonar man. After basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, he attended Sound (sonar) School in San Diego before heading to the navy's Quonset Point, RI facility to test newly developed US sonar equipment. He was assigned to the new Destroyer Escort USS Bray DE 709 at New Orleans to patrol the North Atlantic shipping lanes after Hitler ordered all German submarines to the Atlantic to stop the US shipping of arms to England. He also escorted ships to the Panama Canal until Germany's surrender. His last ship was the USS Foss DE 59. On his return from WWII, he was hired by Delco Remy Division of General Motors as an apprentice draftsman. After apprentice school, he became a detail draftsman and then worked in the engineering test lab testing electrical and mechanical products. Jobs in the engineering product testing and engineering groups followed. He retired from Delco Remy in 1987 as a Sr. Project Engineer with 41 years of service. He and his colleagues worked hard but they laughed together and made the work enjoyable.
Seeing the world in the Navy created a love of seeing new places. For wife Jean and his kids, the end of Sunday church service always meant a hop in the car with family friends to restaurants all over Indiana. He loved a good Rand McNally atlas, carefully planning annual family road trips to see the USA in our Chevrolet, and he enjoyed driving all the GM brands. But you couldn’t win an argument that a 4 cylinder with geo-boost could be as fine as a 6 cylinder engine. He and Jean loved Ambassadair trips to Maine and to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. At 56, they enjoyed a Eurail trip riding trains and carrying a backpack with their daughter while sightseeing in France, Germany and Switzerland. A trip at age 81 with his children, granddaughters and St. Richard's Episcopal School to the D-Day invasion beaches and Paris was a highlight. Don also loved his May 2014 Honor Flight 5 chance to see the Washington DC military memorials. It was an unbelievable experience. Meeting Senator Bob Dole and Secretary Elizabeth Dole at the WWII Memorial and being welcomed home by Mike and Karen Pence made the day so memorable. He and all others honored truly felt thanked for what they saw as simply doing their duty for our country.
In eighth grade, Don fell for the woman he would love and marry for 67 years, Jean Loudenback. Don and Jean enjoyed inviting friends to the Indianapolis Symphony Pops Concerts and to interesting Town Halls at Butler’s Clowes Hall. Don loved the Broadway Series, especially when a musical involved tap dancing. They loved the Paramount Theatre, big band music, the Wigwam and Anderson Indians basketball. He liked giving back to the community. A long time member of East Side Community Club in Anderson, he served as Secretary for many years. He enjoyed reading-- especially John Grisham novels.
Don first met God when he was invited as a child to be in a Christmas play at Park Place Church of God. He was a member of Bethany Christian Church and a Sunday School teacher there. In more recent years, he attended Madison Park Church of God. After he retired, he happily drove friends to doctor appointments. For 16 years, he loved taking his granddaughters to school or to lessons every Monday. Even at 93 he enjoyed mowing his lawn. And he enjoyed every minute of those 67 years being married to Jean and ensuring her life was the best it could be. He was a great husband, father, grandfather and friend.
Don is survived by his wife, Jean; by son Steve and daughter Sandy Sommers (David); by granddaughters Betsy, Carly and Kit Sommers; by siblings Mary Long Toppin and Fred Long (Pat); by brother in law Max Loudenback; by nephews Dave, Doug, Bill and Ben Long, Scott and Patrick Coen, Larry Toppin, Michael Loudenback, and niece Diana Toppin Watson; and by many beloved cousins by birth and by marriage. He was predeceased by his parents, his in-laws Mabel and Earl Loudenback, brothers Bob Long and two infant brothers, and his sister Carolyn Long McCafferty; and brother in law Charlie Toppin.
Visitation will be held from 12 to 2 p.m. Friday, December 14, 2018 at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Service. A funeral service will be at 2 p.m., Friday at the funeral home with burial to follow at East Maplewood Cemetery. Please share a note or an online memory or condolence of Don at www rozelle-johnson.com. In lieu of flowers, consider a memorial contribution to the Anderson YMCA towards a membership for a young boy or girl.