Thomas Frederick Long

Thomas Frederick Long, Sr., age 93, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 surrounded by loved ones.
Tom was born on December 19, 1931 to Sarah (Hiar) and Emory Long as the fourth oldest of 9 children. Being raised during the Great Depression taught him resiliency and the value of resourcefulness, including a love for growing a garden and flowers that he was proud to share with his community. He was drafted into the United States Army during his senior year of high school, serving with the 378th Combat Engineers in Korea from 1952-1954, while in Korea Thomas was the recipient of 2 Bronze Service Stars. After he worked in Grand Rapids at Reynolds Metals before returning to Boyne City to work on the railroad. In 1960, he met the love of his life, Nancy, with whom he just celebrated 64 years of marriage; together they had two sons, Tom Jr. and Kevin.
In 1961 he enlisted in the United States Navy and was assigned to the USS Annapolis AGMR-1, one of the first floating communication stations used during the Vietnam war. This allowed for major land-to-sea communications without the need for constructing physical communication bases and was critical to the protection of American troops, which was something he was very passionate about. Tom served a year on the Annapolis as a Boatswain's Mate, performing maintenance duties and taking the dinghy back and forth between ships to retrieve mail. His service was a significant source of pride for Tom, and he was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Post 1518 in Gaylord, MI. He valued mentoring and supporting the younger Veterans and assisting in honoring Veterans at their end of life through his active participation in military funerals. He was honored with a Quilt of Valor in 2021 and attended the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. in 2022.
Tom spent the bulk of his post-military years working for Gaylord Community Schools as a bus driver and janitor, retiring in August 1990 after 30 years of service. He loved working with children and is still loved by many of his former students. Not one to take it easy, Tom spent his retirement working for the Otsego County Parks as a park ranger. He loved the outdoors and was an avid bird watcher, camper, golfer, and hunter into his 90s; he shot his last 10-point buck at age 91. He loved to share these hobbies with his many friends and family (especially his grandchildren) and cherished these as some of his best memories.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Sarah and Emory; brothers Emory, Jr., Bud, and Ed; sisters Martina, Ethel, Donna, and Versa; brothers-in-law Don Crandall, Bob Brooks, Harry McFall, Carl Brooks, and Ron Benz; sisters-in-law Kathy Shank and Jane Benz; and many beloved friends. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; sons Tom Jr. (Nanette) and Kevin (Mary); grandchildren Brooke Long, Jacob Long, Sarah (Chris) Harmon, and Drew Long; sister Joyce (Ed) Pruetz; brothers-in-law John Brooks, Fred Brooks, and Ed Ventline; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Visitation for Tom will be held at Nelsons Funeral Home, 135 N. Center Avenue in Gaylord from 11AM- 1PM on Friday, October 10, 2025. Funeral services will follow from 1-2PM and the public is welcome to join the family for a luncheon at the Eagles Hall in Gaylord at 2:30PM. He will be interred at Maple Hill Cemetery in Elmira in a private family ceremony where he will be attended by his grandchildren, nephew Steve Brooks, and cousin Don Hiar.
In lieu of flowers, Tom and Nancy have requested donations be made to support the Road Home Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, which provides cost-free mental health treatment to Veterans of all eras of service aligned with Tom's passion for helping those who have also served. Memorial checks made out to "Rush University Medical Center" (memo line "Road Home Tribute") can be sent to the Rush Office of Philanthropy at 28057 Network Place, Chicago, IL 60673-1280; online donations can be made at http://rushgiving.com/roadhometribute. Please specify that you are donating in honor of Thomas Long, Sr. Additionally, the family welcomes donations to Compassus as a thank you for their excellent hospice care during Tom's final days. Donations can be sent via check to 1723 M-32 West, Gaylord, MI 49735.
Please share your stories and memories of Tom at the "Share a Memory" section. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Nelsons Cremation & Funeral Services, Gaylord, Michigan. www.CarebyNelsons.com To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas, please visit our floral store.