Gordon Everett Longest

Gordon Everett Longest left us on Sunday March 21st 2021, but lived a long and full life most of us will never experience half of. He was born May 2nd, 1929 in St Louis, Oklahoma to Ebb Samuel Longest and Nora E Longest and had 12 siblings. He grew up at the start of the dust bowl and great depression and made multiple pilgrimages from Oklahoma to California throughout his entire life. He could recount with detail almost every moment of any significance in his life. You would be lucky to have been a part of any of them. He lived through some of our country’s most important events and could give you a perspective that few people could have experienced. He was accidentally shot in the hip and lost a thumb at age 13 and spent months in the hospital. This injury wouldn’t define his life it only added adversity he made a strength. His family left Oklahoma during the dust bowl to find work and settled in California where they would do whatever they could to make a living. Most of them spent time working in the fields picking whatever crop was in bloom in the San Juaquin Valley and even spent time working crops in Oregon. Gordon would marry the Love of his life Mildred Laverne (Souders) Longest on August 16th 1947 in Johnson Oklahoma and had four children Gordon Brent Longest of Nipomo CA, Rhonda Sargent of Garland TX, Dixie Boyd of Meeker OK, and Dana Bottoms of Indialantic, FL. They were proud and life members of the First Church of God in Santa Maria, Ca and Shawnee, Ok. Gordon began working for the Local 1222 of the Labors Union in construction building missile silos on Vandenburg Air Force Base and would go on to work in the Santa Maria, CA oil fields as a supervisor and later a manager where he would earn his first retirement. He finally settled down in Shawnee, Oklahoma where he would earn his 2nd retirement working as the maintenance manager of North Rock Creek School where some of his grandchildren attended and where some of his great grandchildren still attend. After retiring from NRC he would spend many years piddling in his garage creating contraptions, gardening and spending time with his grandchildren going on multiple fishing trips from the Arkansas River to Coast of California surf fishing. To say he was a strong man would diminish him. He was a rock! He lived a full life and we can only celebrate that we were able to share in some of it with him. He will forever be a part of us and will live on in each and every person he crossed paths. He was loved more than he knew and after such a full life he was ready to rest. Gordon had 10 Grandchildren and 10 Great Grand Children. He was preceded in the death by his loving wife of 56 years Mildred Laverne (Souders) Longest, as well, as two grandsons Nathan Sargent and Andrew Maloney who Gordon loved with all his heart. Gordon’s Funeral service will be held Saturday March 27th at 2pm at Walker Funeral Home and will be laid to rest at Johnson Cemetery.