Joseph "Sonny" Long Jr.

Joseph Byrns "Sonny" Long, Jr. died Friday February 27, 2026 at NHC in Springfield, Tennessee, having battled the vicissitudes of infirmity and age for over two decades. (He chose to leave the field of his own accord and on his terms).

He was born in Springfield, Tennessee, January 9th, 1949, and lived in Cedar Hill, Tennessee until 1956. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1967 and received a BA degree in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1972 (It took him an extra year to figure out that he was not cut out to be an engineer and that college required more effort than high school.)

After graduation Mr. Long worked for Architect-Engineer Associates in Nashville, Tennessee as a technical writer/architectural historian. During his tenure with that firm, he authored several reports cataloging historic buildings and districts in Tennessee cities. Notable among these were the Beale Street Historic District in Memphis and the Second Avenue Historic District in Nashville, as well as sites in Knoxville and Clarksville.

In 1978, he joined the U.S. Border Patrol and worked as a Border Patrol Agent in Eagle Pass, Texas until 1983. In 1984 he joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As a DEA Special Agent, he served in Nogales, Arizona; Lexington, Kentucky; Birmingham, Alabama and El Paso, Texas. He also served a four- month tour of duty as an instructor at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and three ninety-day tours in Peru. He held the collateral position of field firearms officer for most of his DEA career. He was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in 1999 and retired from Federal service in July of 2002 as the Executive Assistant to the Director of DEA's El Paso Intelligence Center.

He was a member of the Robertson County Historical Society, Sigma Nu Fraternity, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, and a Life Endowment Member of the National Rifle Association

He enjoyed hunting, and read extensively, especially on the subjects of U.S. history. aviation, military and architecture. He made it a point throughout his years of law enforcement service to encourage, counsel and support persons interested in pursuing law enforcement careers. He did not suffer fools gladly, but considered his greatest blessing to be the quantity and quality of persons he was privileged to call his friends.

Mr. Long was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Byrns Long, Sr. and Stella Anderson Long. He is survived by his sister, Emily Long Dugan (Terry) of Lilburn, Georgia.

Mr. Long has requested his remains be cremated with his ashes spread over a special place in Texas and his farm in Humphreys County. He also requested there be no service.

If so, desired memorial contributions can be made to the 100 Club of Nashville, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund or the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation.