Billy Joe Long was lifted by angels to be with his heavenly Father and Lord Jesus on May 30. He died at St. Mary’s Hospital at the age of 85 suffering from dementia and other health issues. Billy Joe was born to Omar James Long and Carrie A. Jones. His father remarried later to Bernice L. Langston, who raised older brother Fred, Joe and younger brother Bob in Bristow and Pryor, OK.
Joe graduated from Pryor, OK High School in 1953. With money he had earned from previous summers working on a pipeline in Michigan, he and his older brother Fred attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater. From September of 1954 until graduation in May of 1956, they learned building construction while also being ROTC members.
After graduation, and knowing that their local draft board was in need of recruits for the US Army, they decided to beat the draft and enlist. Preferring to put their university training to good use and “to see the world” at Uncle Sam’s expense, they both enlisted for a two-year program with the U.S. Navy Seabees on July 23, 1956.
At the time of his enlistment, Joe was 5 feet and 8 inches tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and 160 lbs. in weight. He named his father as his employer and that he was paid $55.00 per week for rough-in carpentry work during the summers of 1953-1955. He also stated that he enjoyed hunting and fishing for leisure time activities.
After going through boot camp together at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, both brothers were assigned to Construction Battalion Five with the rating of Builder.
However, they were sent in opposite directions—one to the Atlantic and the other to the Pacific—in order to stay in compliance with new Navy regulations regarding family members.
Fred went to Rhode Island and then shipped out to North Africa. Joe went to Kingsville, TX, and from there he was put on a ship for service in the Pacific. Joe’s first port of call was the Midway Islands via Honolulu, Hawaii. The ship’s next port was Alaska but Joe was transferred to Port Hueneme, CA for minor surgery. He was discharged on June 7, 1958 from the US Naval Hospital in San Diego with the rank of E-2.
Upon release, he boarded a bus for Gunnison, CO where his parents had recently moved. There, he helped his father build Longs Holiday Motel on the Gunnison River.
Joe met his wife Troas at the First Southern Baptist Church (now Trinity Baptist) in Gunnison. She was a native of Indiana, having moved with her family to Gunnison in 1945. They were married in this church on April 29, 1961. They had just celebrated 59 years of marriage.
After their marriage, the Longs eventually bought Park-It Mobile Home Park around 1969 in Gunnison that was owned by brother Fred and his wife. Joe and Troas were still owners and managers of this park at the time of Joe’s passing. Besides managing the park, Joe also built apartments in Gunnison. He also became a regional representative for Cover-It, an instant garage and all-weather shelter business.
Joe was a member of Trinity Baptist Church where he and his wife have been dedicated believers in their Christian faith.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Marvin. He is survived by his wife, Troas; two children, Brenda and Diana; two brothers, Fred and Bobby; plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
[Bio by John J. Long, #47619262]
Contributor: John J. Long (47619262) • [email protected]
Joe graduated from Pryor, OK High School in 1953. With money he had earned from previous summers working on a pipeline in Michigan, he and his older brother Fred attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater. From September of 1954 until graduation in May of 1956, they learned building construction while also being ROTC members.
After graduation, and knowing that their local draft board was in need of recruits for the US Army, they decided to beat the draft and enlist. Preferring to put their university training to good use and “to see the world” at Uncle Sam’s expense, they both enlisted for a two-year program with the U.S. Navy Seabees on July 23, 1956.
At the time of his enlistment, Joe was 5 feet and 8 inches tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and 160 lbs. in weight. He named his father as his employer and that he was paid $55.00 per week for rough-in carpentry work during the summers of 1953-1955. He also stated that he enjoyed hunting and fishing for leisure time activities.
After going through boot camp together at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, both brothers were assigned to Construction Battalion Five with the rating of Builder.
However, they were sent in opposite directions—one to the Atlantic and the other to the Pacific—in order to stay in compliance with new Navy regulations regarding family members.
Fred went to Rhode Island and then shipped out to North Africa. Joe went to Kingsville, TX, and from there he was put on a ship for service in the Pacific. Joe’s first port of call was the Midway Islands via Honolulu, Hawaii. The ship’s next port was Alaska but Joe was transferred to Port Hueneme, CA for minor surgery. He was discharged on June 7, 1958 from the US Naval Hospital in San Diego with the rank of E-2.
Upon release, he boarded a bus for Gunnison, CO where his parents had recently moved. There, he helped his father build Longs Holiday Motel on the Gunnison River.
Joe met his wife Troas at the First Southern Baptist Church (now Trinity Baptist) in Gunnison. She was a native of Indiana, having moved with her family to Gunnison in 1945. They were married in this church on April 29, 1961. They had just celebrated 59 years of marriage.
After their marriage, the Longs eventually bought Park-It Mobile Home Park around 1969 in Gunnison that was owned by brother Fred and his wife. Joe and Troas were still owners and managers of this park at the time of Joe’s passing. Besides managing the park, Joe also built apartments in Gunnison. He also became a regional representative for Cover-It, an instant garage and all-weather shelter business.
Joe was a member of Trinity Baptist Church where he and his wife have been dedicated believers in their Christian faith.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Marvin. He is survived by his wife, Troas; two children, Brenda and Diana; two brothers, Fred and Bobby; plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
[Bio by John J. Long, #47619262]
Contributor: John J. Long (47619262) • [email protected]
Billy Joe Long was lifted by angels to be with his heavenly Father and Lord Jesus on May 30. He died at St. Mary’s Hospital at the age of 85 suffering from dementia and other health issues. Billy Joe was born to Omar James Long and Carrie A. Jones. His father remarried later to Bernice L. Langston, who raised older brother Fred, Joe and younger brother Bob in Bristow and Pryor, OK.
Joe graduated from Pryor, OK High School in 1953. With money he had earned from previous summers working on a pipeline in Michigan, he and his older brother Fred attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater. From September of 1954 until graduation in May of 1956, they learned building construction while also being ROTC members.
After graduation, and knowing that their local draft board was in need of recruits for the US Army, they decided to beat the draft and enlist. Preferring to put their university training to good use and “to see the world” at Uncle Sam’s expense, they both enlisted for a two-year program with the U.S. Navy Seabees on July 23, 1956.
At the time of his enlistment, Joe was 5 feet and 8 inches tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and 160 lbs. in weight. He named his father as his employer and that he was paid $55.00 per week for rough-in carpentry work during the summers of 1953-1955. He also stated that he enjoyed hunting and fishing for leisure time activities.
After going through boot camp together at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, both brothers were assigned to Construction Battalion Five with the rating of Builder.
However, they were sent in opposite directions—one to the Atlantic and the other to the Pacific—in order to stay in compliance with new Navy regulations regarding family members.
Fred went to Rhode Island and then shipped out to North Africa. Joe went to Kingsville, TX, and from there he was put on a ship for service in the Pacific. Joe’s first port of call was the Midway Islands via Honolulu, Hawaii. The ship’s next port was Alaska but Joe was transferred to Port Hueneme, CA for minor surgery. He was discharged on June 7, 1958 from the US Naval Hospital in San Diego with the rank of E-2.
Upon release, he boarded a bus for Gunnison, CO where his parents had recently moved. There, he helped his father build Longs Holiday Motel on the Gunnison River.
Joe met his wife Troas at the First Southern Baptist Church (now Trinity Baptist) in Gunnison. She was a native of Indiana, having moved with her family to Gunnison in 1945. They were married in this church on April 29, 1961. They had just celebrated 59 years of marriage.
After their marriage, the Longs eventually bought Park-It Mobile Home Park around 1969 in Gunnison that was owned by brother Fred and his wife. Joe and Troas were still owners and managers of this park at the time of Joe’s passing. Besides managing the park, Joe also built apartments in Gunnison. He also became a regional representative for Cover-It, an instant garage and all-weather shelter business.
Joe was a member of Trinity Baptist Church where he and his wife have been dedicated believers in their Christian faith.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Marvin. He is survived by his wife, Troas; two children, Brenda and Diana; two brothers, Fred and Bobby; plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
[Bio by John J. Long, #47619262]
Contributor: John J. Long (47619262) • [email protected]
Joe graduated from Pryor, OK High School in 1953. With money he had earned from previous summers working on a pipeline in Michigan, he and his older brother Fred attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater. From September of 1954 until graduation in May of 1956, they learned building construction while also being ROTC members.
After graduation, and knowing that their local draft board was in need of recruits for the US Army, they decided to beat the draft and enlist. Preferring to put their university training to good use and “to see the world” at Uncle Sam’s expense, they both enlisted for a two-year program with the U.S. Navy Seabees on July 23, 1956.
At the time of his enlistment, Joe was 5 feet and 8 inches tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and 160 lbs. in weight. He named his father as his employer and that he was paid $55.00 per week for rough-in carpentry work during the summers of 1953-1955. He also stated that he enjoyed hunting and fishing for leisure time activities.
After going through boot camp together at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, both brothers were assigned to Construction Battalion Five with the rating of Builder.
However, they were sent in opposite directions—one to the Atlantic and the other to the Pacific—in order to stay in compliance with new Navy regulations regarding family members.
Fred went to Rhode Island and then shipped out to North Africa. Joe went to Kingsville, TX, and from there he was put on a ship for service in the Pacific. Joe’s first port of call was the Midway Islands via Honolulu, Hawaii. The ship’s next port was Alaska but Joe was transferred to Port Hueneme, CA for minor surgery. He was discharged on June 7, 1958 from the US Naval Hospital in San Diego with the rank of E-2.
Upon release, he boarded a bus for Gunnison, CO where his parents had recently moved. There, he helped his father build Longs Holiday Motel on the Gunnison River.
Joe met his wife Troas at the First Southern Baptist Church (now Trinity Baptist) in Gunnison. She was a native of Indiana, having moved with her family to Gunnison in 1945. They were married in this church on April 29, 1961. They had just celebrated 59 years of marriage.
After their marriage, the Longs eventually bought Park-It Mobile Home Park around 1969 in Gunnison that was owned by brother Fred and his wife. Joe and Troas were still owners and managers of this park at the time of Joe’s passing. Besides managing the park, Joe also built apartments in Gunnison. He also became a regional representative for Cover-It, an instant garage and all-weather shelter business.
Joe was a member of Trinity Baptist Church where he and his wife have been dedicated believers in their Christian faith.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Marvin. He is survived by his wife, Troas; two children, Brenda and Diana; two brothers, Fred and Bobby; plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
[Bio by John J. Long, #47619262]
Contributor: John J. Long (47619262) • [email protected]
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