Obituary of Ian Charles Long

Ian was born to Phyllis and Arlos Long in Consort Alberta, on April 14, 1958. His childhood years were spent on the family farm just outside of Veteran. This was a true “mixed farm” where there were dairy cattle, hogs, chickens, horses and of course grain farming. He was exposed at a very early age to all sorts of “farm chores” which included milking cows, feeding chickens, gathering the eggs, “slopping” the hogs and operating farm equipment. Living close to a small town meant the ability to establish a lot of close friends who of course loved to visit a farm. With the vast amount of open space and of course the wide variety of farm animals, activities were as endless as a young boy’s imagination! Not only did the horses get rode, but also the pigs and calves and a special event was to see how many chickens you could put to sleep at one time! For those who might not know, if you put a chicken’s head under its wing and rock it for a minute, then set it on the ground, they will generally sleep for a few minutes. I believe the record was 50! Ian attended Veteran School through grade 9, then attended Coronation High School. After finishing school, he always enjoyed the farm, so helped Mom and Dad at home, as well worked for numerous neighboring farmers in the area, he worked for the Veteran Auction Mart for a number of years and worked for the “Special Areas” as an equipment operator. Ian always cherished the special friendships he made while he resided in Veteran. In September of 1986, Ian moved to Red Deer, where he soon took a job at Fletcher’s, the hog slaughtering plant. This eventually became Olymel and he continued to work there until his passing. Ian always made sure he visited anyone he knew when they were in hospital and always phoned everyone he knew to wish them “Happy Birthday”! Ian took special pride in the amount of times he donated blood and received a special award from the “blood donor bank” last year for the number of times he had donated…….over 70 times! For the last several years Ian was very involved in charitable work, especially with the Knights of Columbus fundraising activities. He was very giving of his time and self, helping with the organizing and working at various events such as the annual May yard sale held at St. Mary's Church, parking vehicles for the Farmer's Market at the Lodge Hotel every Saturday and the fall and winter suppers held at the church. In addition to this he served as an usher for masses at the church and was always so willing to help in any other way that he could. He also took part in fundraising activities with both the Associated Canadian Travellers and the Kerry Wood Nature Center. With these groups he spent countless hours selling raffle tickets in local malls and elsewhere. For his friends and coffee buddies, seldom, if ever, did Ian back away from using his truck and time to help move furniture, lend a hand with renovation projects, like installing doors or windows. Ian was always the go to guy when you needed help with anything. In the last three or four years Ian became immersed in the various functions of cell phones. This certainly ties in with the fact that Ian was a people person. He had well over three hundred contact numbers stored, as well as up to two hundred birthday dates, in addition to this there were numerous pictures and videos he sent and stored and the five hockey and football team schedules in his phone as well. In retrospect Ian was a man that will be greatly missed because he touched the lives of many people in such a special way. Ian was predeceased by his father Arlos Long in December 2010; he leaves to mourn his loving family: mother Phyllis Long of Stettler, brother Gordon (Paulette) Long of Veteran and their sons and Ian’s nephews, Ellis (Sarah) Long of Calgary and Galen Long of Wainwright, brother Wayne (Karen) Long of Stettler and their sons and Ian’s nephews, Jason Long of Stettler and Tyler (Amanda) Long and their daughters and Ian’s great nieces Ava and Brooklyn of Fort St. John, other family members and all the truly great friends Ian made over the 27 years he lived in Red Deer. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him, especially the organizations he worked so diligently to volunteer for. A funeral mass was held for Ian Charles Long on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Red Deer, Alberta with The Reverend Father Les Drewicki officiating. Readers were Ed Dittrich, Dick Dornstauder and Bob Kruchten, fellow brothers from the Knights of Columbus. Gift bearers were Marlene and Bob Szasz and adult server was Roger Reilander. Charmaine Marcinek as vocalist and John Marcinek as pianist presented their gifts of music. A tribute to Ian was given by Charlie Wright and the Knights of Columbus shared their memories. Following the mass the Knights of Columbus formed an honour guard as family and friends proceeded to the parish hall for a time of fellowship and a luncheon served by the CWL. Ian will be laid to rest in the spring, beside his father at Veteran Cemetery, Veteran, Alberta. If desired memorial contributions may be made to Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation, Veteran Cemetery, Veteran, Alberta or a charity of your choice.