By Staff
June 22, 2009
A memorial service for John D. Long, former longtime Mayor of Hartselle, will be Thursday (today), June 25, at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Hartselle with Peck Funeral Home directing.
Mr. Long, 83, died Monday, June 22, 2009. He was born December 27, 1925, in Hartselle to Roy Guy Long and Mamie Roberts Long. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII in the Pacific theatre. After receiving a honorable discharge he returned to Hartselle to work for the L&N Railroad in both Hartselle and Decatur for 20 years. He was then recruited to work for ConAgra as the traffic manager for the southeast and retired after 20 years of service. In addition, during the same period, he served as a city councilman, mayor pro-tem for four years and mayor for 16 years, retiring after 20 years of service. As mayor he was instrumental in bringing multiple industries to the city. One of his proudest accomplishments was initiating and implementing the change from a county to a city school system. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Hartselle, numerous civic organizations and was an avid golfer. After retirement he and his wife traveled extensively, visiting many parts of the world. He was preceded in death by a son, Dr. Thomas Ray Long of Hendersonville, N.C.
He is survived by his wife, Jean Moore Long of Decatur; two sons, John P. Long of Kansas City, Mo. and Robert G. Long of Pelham; a sister, Roylean Lewis of Neel; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the First United Methodist Church of Hartselle.