Kenneth Eugene Long Obituary

Kenneth Eugene Long, 86, passed away peacefully at Rosewood Nursing Home on November 4, 2022 after a four year illness.

Born in Danville, PA on November 4, 1936, he was the son of the late William Guy Long and Dorothy May Long (Young). Ken was preceded in death by his father and mother; brothers James Walter Long and Donald Blaine Long; sisters Anna Gertrude Appleman (Long), Lucille May Fox (Long), and Dorothy Elizabeth Reedy (Long); and his second son, James Walter Long. Ken is survived by his first wife, Edna Long (Gonzales) (now recently deceased); his first son, Kennerd Guy Long; his third son, Michael John Long and his wife Patricia Mae Blackwater, granddaughter Lily H Blackwater-Long, grandson Zidane VinHoskie Blackwater, grandson Leonardo Hoskie Blackwater, and grandson Corey Ian Blackwater; and his current wife, Dorine Ann Long (Macknair).

Ken graduated from Danville High School in 1954 and joined the US Marine Corps the same year. He served honorably until 1957 when his enlistment was up and moved back to Danville, PA with his first wife, Edna Ersilia Long (Gonzales). They had three sons while in Danville, Kennerd Guy Long, James Walter Long (deceased), and Michael John Long. After leaving his family and Danville in 1965 and while living in Selinsgrove, PA, Ken had a relationship with Cindy Bryant. He was a good father-figure to her two daughters, Kim and Stacey. On October 7, 1978 Ken married his current wife, Dorine Ann Macknair of Lewistown, PA. He and Dorine were married for 44 years until his passing. Dorine had a son and two daughters from a previous marriage but Ken and Dorine never had any children together. Ken always treated Dorine's children and grandchildren as his own and was a good father-figure/friend to them.

When Ken left Danville, he started a career with Holiday Inn. Ken eventually rose to General Manager in Reading. He retired from the Holiday Inn and went to work for Craftex, where he was very active in the Union and was an activist at many marches in NJ, NY, NV, and MD and also lobbying on Capital Hill for a better work place. Ken loved jazz and country music, working in the garden, watching old movies and being with his family. Ken loved fishing, hunting, and bowling and belonged to the Tuesday Men's League in Pottsville and the Thursday Senior League in Reading and once bowled a 300 game. A relative in Danville once recounted a story about Ken where several of the guys met up in a hunting cabin to go deer hunting but it was raining and everyone was staying inside. Ken eventually said the heck with it and went out hunting. He came back thirty minutes later with a deer over his shoulder, loaded it into the trunk of his car and left. Ken used to play with clay marbles as a boy. They were called stonies. While visiting him in 2006 his first-born son, Ken from New Mexico, found a few stonies at a local flea market and gave them to him as a present as he was leaving to go back home.

Ken is interred at Maitland Church of the Brethren Cemetery in Lewistown, PA.
'Ten hut! Hand salute! May you have fair winds and following seas. You can rest easy shipmate, we have the watch.