John Long, 65

John Paul Long, 65, of Hudson passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Feb. 16., 2009.

He was born the son of Mark F. and Lillian S. (Linder) Long on Feb. 2, 1944, in Cheyenne, Wyo.

He was united in marriage to Bonita Joy Anderson on May 1, 1981, in North St. Paul, Minn. They would be blessed with three children: Christopher, Kimberlee and Erik.

John worked for Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe Railroad for over 35 years, retiring on July 1, 1999, as a director of vehicle fleet management. John’s retirement allowed him to “work on his life.” He was a people person who made contacts everywhere he went, and he enjoyed being the one family and friends would call to find the answer.

John loved to putter with his cars and perfect them for showing; he was a member of the River City Cruisers car club and of the St. Croix Valley Corvette Association. He especially enjoyed the road trips and car shows. He wasn’t content to be a wallflower in the clubs; he wanted to be part of the decision-making process and enjoyed being the go-to guy. John also liked boating & spending time on the St. Croix River, and he was a movie buff but, above all, he ADORED his three grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

John is survived by his wife of 28 years, Bonnie; children, Christopher (Kristin) Long of St. Paul, Kimberlee (Robb) Elsholtz of Grant, Minn., and Erik (Kari) Gangestad of Hudson; grandchildren, Greta and Megan Elsholtz and Parker Gangestad; extended family and countless friends.

A funeral service for John was held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Bethel Lutheran Highlands Church, 540 Frontage Road, Hudson.

Visitation was for two hours prior.

The family has designated Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of MN “Children’s Foundation” for memorial contributions.

Services were entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson.

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