John C. De Long

John Calvin De Long, age 74 of Estill Springs, TN passed away peacefully surrounded by family at his home Friday January 27th due to complications of Cancer.  He was born May 11th, 1948 the eldest of twin boys to Harold and Sylvia De Long.  He grew up in Mather, WI.   He graduated from Tomah High School, class of 1966.  He worked on his family’s cranberry marsh both during high school and after.  He entered into military service in 1969 when he joined the Air Force.  He married the love of his life, Gloria Kozlowski (City Point, WI), in 1970.

John was a devoted husband and father.  He and Gloria had two children, Douglas and Dawn.  John was a highly respected servant leader in his profession and in his community.  He retired from the Air Force after 24.5 years, which included active duty in the Vietnam War.  He then spent another 20 years as the assistant manager of the Arnold Air Force base golf course.  He was a volunteer fire fighter for Estill Springs for over 10 years.  He was considered a founding member/coach of youth soccer in Franklin County.  He was both an athlete and coach.  He played volley ball, softball, and golf.  He coached youth teams in basketball, soccer, and softball.  He was also an avid reader and sportsman.  He loved fishing and hunting as well as breeding and training beagles.  He loved watching sports of all kinds, but loved the MN Vikings the most.  John was to both family and friends someone you could always count on for a helping hand and advice.  He had a playful nature and always enjoyed life!

Most important to him was his family! John is survived by his wife Gloria of 52 years and his two children Douglas De Long and Dawn Spry, and her husband Cory Spry with their two children Isabella and Jensen Spry.  John is also survived by his siblings and their children/grandchildren: Florence De Long (sister), Harry De Long (twin brother), and Sylvia Medinger (sister).  John was preceded in death by his parents: Harold S. De Long and Sylvia L. De Long (Griffin).   

Come join the family for a celebration of John’s life on Friday, February 3rd from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Estill Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Hall: 6200 AEDC Road, Estill Springs, TN 37330.  They respectfully request that rather than flowers people send contributions in John’s name to the Sarah Cannon Fund at the American Cancer Society – call: 1-800-227-2345 or visit this website: https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=sarahcannonfundcy17