Gerald “Jerry” Long was a husband, father, mover and a shaker. He passed away, Monday, October 23, 2017, very peacefully. His wife and family were at his side. He lived in Appleton all of his life. Jerry graduated from Appleton High School in 1949 and attended Fond du Lac Junior College. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, proudly serving 16 months in Germany, followed by serving in the Army Reserve. In 1954, he married Gladys Reimer and our family began.

A dedicated volunteer, Jerry was very involved in the Appleton Jaycees and served as president in 1967. He was especially proud to become a JCI Senator. Jerry also loved the years he worked with Rawhide – and fondly remembered the many telethons that he worked on with Bart and Cherry Starr along with John and Jan Gillespie and all of his Jaycee pals.

After he became an Exhausted Rooster with Jaycees, he joined the Appleton Elks where he was a member for 36 years, serving as Chaplin for 2 years. In 1996 he was Elk of the Year and was a lifetime member. For 20 years, he served as an Elks representative on the Board of Directors of Cerebral Palsy of Mid-East Wisconsin.

Jerry was truly a Mover and a Shaker. He grew up working for his parents’ family business at Harry H. Long Company. In 1961, he and Gladie founded A-1 Cartage, which later became A-1 Moving & Storage, agents for North American Van Lines. In 1975, they also purchased Northern Moving and became the largest Global Van Lines agent north of Milwaukee. In 1999, they sold the business to their next generation.

Jerry and Gladie traveled extensively over the years, always enjoying the adventures and the friends they made. They could often be heard saying, “We’ve had a great life!”

The highlight of Jerry’s daily routine was having coffee every morning at Paper Valley, where he and his cohorts solved the problems of the world.

Jerry was a life-time member of St. Mary’s parish and an usher for 10 years.

Although everything above was important to Jerry, nothing comes close in significance as FAMILY. To Jerry, family was everything.

He was proud of his Irish heritage and his favorite song was “When Irish Eyes are Smiling.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Alice (Landers) Long, his sister Marquette (Long) Page and brothers John Long, Donald Long.

Survived by his sisters Joan (Long) Kolosso and Marilyn (Long) Christensen, and brothers Robin Long and Keith Long.

Jerry and Gladie have 8 children: Laura Muinde (Jim Rader), Julie Dobberstein (Doug), Gary Long (Jill Nagel), Jean Long Manteufel (Randy), Tom Long (Linda), Molly Hoffmann (Kirt), Diane Hinze (Joel “Horb”), Beth Long (Chuck Gyrion); 10 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren and extended family, as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and dear friends.

Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 10 am, this Saturday, October 28, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 312 S. State St., Appleton with Father Bill Swichtenberg officiating. On Friday, October 27, friends and family may call at the Brettschneider Trettin-Nickel Funeral Chapel, at 606 N. Oneida, Appleton from 4 pm until the time of the parish prayer service at 6 pm, visitation is also at the church from 9 am Saturday until Mass starts. A memorial fund has been established for Rawhide Boys Ranch. Thank you to the Meadows staff at Touchmark for all the care.

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