Laurence Long Obituary

CMDR Laurence Graves (Larry) Long USN (Ret.)

CMDR Laurence Graves (Larry) Long, USN (Ret.), 72, of Duck, NC, died on November 29, 2014 at the Outer Banks Hospital in Nags Head, NC. Larry was born November 4, 1942, in Salina, Kansas, the first of five children of Harrison Kenneth Long, Sr. and Opal Graves Long. He graduated from Salina High School, the University of Kansas, and the United States Navy's Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Schneider, in 1964. Larry served as an active duty officer in the US Navy during the war in Vietnam. He served on the USS Radford, the USS Vesole, held command of the USS Reclaimer (ARS-42, based in Pearl Harbor) and served in command of river boat patrols on the Mekong Delta. He retired from the US Navy after 20 years of active duty. He continued to work as a civilian consultant in the Pentagon and for Booz, Allen and Hamilton in Washington, DC. Larry and Shirley moved to their beach home in Duck, NC to enjoy retirement and the ocean Larry loved. He will long be remembered through his music. He was an accomplished trombonist and avid audiophile.

Larry is survived by his wife, Shirley, his children, Lisa Long Keady and her husband, John Keady of Reston, Virginia, and David Laurence Long and his wife, Gitte Cahoon Long, and their children, Hannah and Zachary, of Ashburn, VA. Larry is also survived by his mother, Opal Graves Long, of Colorado Springs, CO and his siblings and their families, Harrison K. Long, Jr. and Christi Long of Irvine, CA, John Randal Long and Carol Long of Evanston, IL, Judy Long O'Neal of Lawrence, Kansas and Jan Marie Long of Lenexa, Kansas. Larry was preceded in death by his father, Harrison Kenneth Long, Sr., who died in 1955. Larry is also survived by many nieces and nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and friends across the country. For many members of his family, Larry was personal hero, perfect beach host, and beloved friend.

In accordance with his own wishes, Larry's body was gifted to science through Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later date. The family suggests memorials to the University of Kansas Endowment Association in support of the Laurence Graves Long Trombone Scholarship. Contributions may be mailed to: KU Endowment, P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044 or given on-line at www.kuendowment.org/givenow.

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