Harry 'Gene' Long

Harry “Gene” E. Long, age 95, passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday April 27, at the First Christian Church in Clearwater.
Gene Long's life began on June 4, 1928, in Ottawa, Kan., the son of Harry and Fannie (Miller) Long. Gene graduated from Wichita North High School and proudly served his country in the United States Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he was honorably discharged after achieving the rank of Seaman First Class. While in the Navy, the teenaged sailor began corresponding with a young farm girl from the Derby area by the name of Wilma Faye Davis.

Following his return from the service, Gene and Wilma were wed on Jan. 7, 1949, recently celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary. They were blessed with three children, Kathryn, Gail and Bruce, to whom Gene was a great father. Their children were raised in the Clearwater area, from where Gene commuted over the years to Wichita, Wellington and Newton during his 46-year tenure with the AT&SF Railroad before retiring in 1990. Responsibility for the material supply lines within the southwestern U.S. train routes of the Santa Fe railroad proved to be an excellent match for the logistical skills he had developed in the Navy.

Gene worked hard for his family and was a faithful member of the First Christian Church in Clearwater, where he served as a property trustee for several years. Like his father, Gene was an accomplished carpenter. Using these skills during the brutal Kansas drought of 1954, he constructed the residence that his young family would call home for many years. Gene and Wilma's division of labor for gardening and canning ensured that the family's needs were always well provided. In addition to Wilma, his loving family includes daughters Kathryn (Larry) Rush of Wichita, and Gail Kingsley of Baldwin City; son, Bruce (Jeanne) Long of Clearwater; grandchildren, Brad, Brent and Drew Barry, Jeremy Kingsley, Sarah Herr, Abbey Steinbrink, Bryna Edwards, and Courtney Long; and eight great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and son-in-law, Mike Kingsley.
Fair winds and following seas, shipmate. We have the watch.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to First Christian Church, PO Box 485, Clearwater, KS 67026.