Obituary of Jason Wayne Long

Jason was born on March 31, 1980 in Stettler Alberta.  He was the first child born to Karen and Wayne Long.  At the time of his birth, the family lived in a trailer court on the north side of Stettler, Emmerson Acres. He attended day care, kindergarten and grade school until grade three.

At an early age, Jason was diagnosed with Epilepsy and endured numerous daily convulsions in his childhood.  These convulsions continued into his adulthood, which were a continuous struggle for him, however he always met it head on and overcame.

On May 8th, 1983, Jason became an older brother to Tyler.  Jason was so proud of Tyler and the role he had as an older brother!  There was never a bigger smile than when he got to hold Tyler for a picture!

In May of 1989, the family left the town of Stettler and moved to the country close to Red Willow to take up life on a farm.  He continued his schooling at Waverly country school and after that high school at William E. Hay in Stettler.  Having spent time on his Grandma and Grandpa's farms in Byemoor and Veteran, becoming a farm boy full time came natural to him.  Mom and Dad loved working with cattle and training horses from their time spent on farms when they grew up, this spilled over into Jason's love for animals and especially horses.

Jason joined the 4-H Horse Club in 1990 and loved the challenges it provided such as Achievement Days, trail rides and most of all the members that became lifelong friends!  This also led to numerous trail ride trips to the mountains and on a few occasions, pack trips and in 1995 a wagon trip through the Big Valley area.

Jason also learned to ski and on numerous occasions joined family and friends for ski trips to the mountains.  He played baseball in his early years, but the sport of hockey became his true passion to watch!  Possibly a little influence from Dad made him understand the sport, and he became a lifelong Oilers fan.  Jason would daily send the latest stats, scores and anything else he could find generally pertaining to the Oilers.

After Jason got an honorary Graduation from high school in 2000, he moved to Red Deer to take a vocational training course at Red Deer College.  He thoroughly enjoyed this and was placed in numerous training jobs around the city.  In 2006, Jason returned to Stettler and moved into his own house.  Jason worked at numerous jobs in and around Stettler and was also so appreciative to anyone who gave him a chance.

Jason was ecstatic when he became an uncle to his nieces, Ava in 2006, and Brooklyn in 2008.  Weeks before their Birthday's and Christmas, Jason was out shopping.  These were very important dates for Jason and he was a wizard at remembering most people's birthdays!

In April of 2007, Jason suffered a major setback, as he had a massive stroke.  This affected mobility on his right side and nearly wiped out his ability to speak.  This was an especially hard time for him as he had to spend a few weeks at the University Hospital and then at a rehabilitation ward in the Red Deer Hospital.  His speech and mobility improved over time, but it was very frustrating for him getting his message across at times.

In June of 2014, Jason moved into his brand-new Condo!  He was so proud of his "new digs" and whenever possible had company over to visit.  He also made many new friends living in the condo block.

As most people in Stettler can attest to, Jason could be seen walking almost everywhere in town and whenever possible stopping to chat!  Jason was the ultimate "social butterfly" and always sincerely enjoyed everybody's company.

There is an old saying...."It takes a village to raise a child" and this was so true in Jason's case!

We, as Jason’s parents and family would like to thank the entire community of Stettler for always being concerned for his welfare!

Jason is survived by his loving family, parents Karen and Wayne Long of Stettler; brother Tyler Long of Fort St. John, BC; nieces Ava Long of Fort St. John, BC and Brooklyn Long of Fort St. John, BC; grandma Betty Kobi of Stettler; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, other family and many dear friends.  Jason is joining grandpa Edwin Kobi; grandpa Arlos Long and grandma Phyllis Long; uncle Ian Long and sister in law Amanda Long.

A Private Family Funeral Service Was Held on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 2:00 P.M.

Donations in memory of Jason are gratefully accepted to the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation or a charity of the donor’s choice.