WEST FRANKFORT – Elmer Dean (Bud) Longest, of West Frankfort, IL, beloved husband of Emmaline Duke, passed away at the Marion VA Hospital on December 26, 2023 – 15 days before his 90th birthday.
Elmer was born January 10, 1934, in Asher, Oklahoma to Anna Davidson Longest and Orlis C. Longest. When Oklahoma became a dust bowl, his dad and friend Elmer Justice drove to Woodlake, CA to pick oranges. His dad built a house with canvas walls and roof. He then sent train fare so Elmer’s mother, his older sister, and his younger brother Ben could come to Woodlake by train.
Elmer attended Woodlake schools and graduated Woodlake High School in 1953. He joined the U.S. Army in 1954, became a paratrooper and jumped out of perfectly good airplanes. Being a Californian most of his life, he complained of the bitter cold, living in tents in Korea.
When he was 27, he married Billie Hunter and three daughters were born of that union. When he married Sandra Ann Jewell, he immediately became a loving and caring father to her children and a wonderful grandpa to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Two years after the death of his dear wife Sandy, he met his wife Emmaline Duke, at a dance. They traveled in their small motor home all over striving to visit all 50 states. They danced every where they could find to dance.
Elmer enjoyed water skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. Horse back riding the trails in the Grand Canyon with his three daughters, standing on the Great Salt Lake, sitting on a petrified tree and watching Old Faithful. Perhaps one of his greatest pleasures was flying his own plane. When he had to go on blood pressure medicine, he lost his pilot’s license. Being a man of faith, reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation every year, he was pleased to find his wife, Emmaline, was a woman of faith and was so happy to learn new truths about death, Heaven and Hell, that had his health allowed, he wanted to be rebaptized.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Jean Harris, bother Ben Longest, oldest daughter Tamora Dianne Sterling, dear wife of 20 years Sandra Ann Longest, and his best friend and mentor grandpa Jacob Benton Longest. He is survived by his loving wife of a few months shy of 15 years Emmaline Duke, daughters Tressa Denise Forsyth and Tanya Darlene Mills, and sister Ruth Ann Van Order. He also is survived by five grandchildren and one great-grandson and many step children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He leaves behind many nieces and nephews.
His family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the Marion Veterans Hospital staff for their wonderful care and devotion given him.
A celebration of Life will be held Saturday, March 23, at the Union Funeral Home starting at 12:30 p.m., with his Sabbath School teacher and pastor, John Lomacang, officiating. Honorary pallbearers are Roy Duke, Dean Overturf, Russell Schneider, Cody Bishop, Vincent Schneider, and Robert Sandusky. The service will be streamed live on the Union Funeral Home Facebook page so those away from here can be apart of the service.
