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David Bruce Long

July 28, 2018
Prescott, AZ

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Was born to Myrtle and Chet Long in Hastings, Michigan where he lived until he enlisted in the Marines in 1943. He spent a year in San Diego and two years in the South Pacific. He survived two landings and was stationed at New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands and Okinawa. After the war he spent six months in Tientsin, China as a radio operator. He returned to Hastings briefly before moving to Washington D.C. to attend Bliss Electrical School. Upon graduation, he worked for the General Electric Company in Massachusetts and returned home to Michigan to accept a position with Consumers Power Company. That began a 35 year career working in power plants across Michigan including Comstock, Bay City, Grand Haven and Jackson. Dave's responsibilities grew over time as he acquired technical skills as a plant operator and as he received promotions that led him to plant administration. He retired in 1983. Dave married Jeanne Irland, a Nashville, Michigan native, in 1947. In 1949 they had a son, William (Bill), and in 1953, a daughter, Roxanne. They raised their children in several cities in Michigan as Dave transferred to various power plants. Jeanne stayed at home with the children until they were a bit older when she went back to school. She received a Master's Degree in Librarianship from Western Michigan. She worked for 14 years as a Media Specialist in the Portage school system and joined Dave in retirement in 1986. Dave's retirement was not idle. He and Jeanne began worldwide travel adventures to Europe, China, Australia and Russia and the around the United States. Their U.S. travel included 14 Elder hostels in various Gulf states and visits to Arizona where Roxanne had settled with her husband, Terry Sutton, and to Montana where Bill lived with his wife, Billie Miller, and their son, Sean. Both Dave and Jeanne were very involved in volunteer activities supporting the Portage District Library, including book sales. Believing in the importance of education, they established a scholarship fund at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College which, to date, has given over 125 awards to non-traditional students. Dave's hobbies included fishing, golf, rock cutting, boating, stamp collecting and reading. Jeanne died in 2010. After living alone until 2012, Dave moved to Prescott, Arizona to be closer to his daughter. He moved into his own apartment and began creating a new life which included daily visits from Roxanne who provided support and assistance. Bill and his family from Montana also visited regularly. For his last three years, he enjoyed the companionship of Sally Robinson, a friend from childhood. He continued to embrace his competitive spirit and enjoyed playing cards with family and friends whenever he could. Dave's grandson, Sean, married Tyree Rutten in Oregon in 2014, and they continued the Long name, presenting Dave with great-granddaughters, Fiona in 2016 and Mackenzie in 2018. On July 28, Dave died at home at age 93. His ashes will be interred next to Jeanne's at Fort Custer at an as yet undecided date. Dave always believed in the importance of education. Gifts in his honor may be directed to the Kalamazoo Valley Community College David B. Long and Jeanne M. Long Annual Scholarship Fund, c/o Stephen Doherty, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 6767 West O Ave., Box 4070, Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4070