Chillicothe OH- George W Long, Sr. passed away on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 6:46 a.m. after an extended illness. George was born on August 15, 1928 to Robert Earl Long, Sr. and Edith Rush Elmore Long. George is survived by his wife, Rita Tardif Long, and their three children: son, George W. Long, Jr. and his wife, Beverly J French Long and her son, Matthew I French.; daughter, Anna Marie Long and her husband, David Charles Fellabaum (deceased); son, Dwight Earl Long; granddaughter, Amanda Grace Fellabaum Pontious and her husband, Ryan Matthew Pontious. George is predeceased by his two older brothers, Robert Earl Long, Jr. and his wife, Eleanor Smith Long; and Kenneth Long and his wife Mary Lee Parker Long; sister, Ruth E Long; and twin sister, Edith Long Vance and her husband, Claude Vance, and is survived by many dear nephews and nieces.
George was a sports enthusiast. He loved playing football in his youth, and later played tennis, golf, and bowling. He watched all professional and collegiate sports. He was an avid University of Tennessee Volunteer fan, but once relocated to Ohio he became an Ohio State Buckeye Football fan, as his wife, sons, daughter and granddaughter all attended The Ohio State University.
He worked at Tennessee Eastman before and while attending the University of Tennessee, majoring in Chemical Engineering and qualifying for the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He joined the Air Force in 1951 during the Korean war and was stationed at a Strategic Air Command base located in Northern Maine where he met his wife, Rita Long. They were married February 23, 1957 in Knoxville, TN shortly before earning his Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
In 1958, George moved his family to Chillicothe, Ohio to work at Mead Central Research until 1969. He worked there on one of the first process control engineering teams to apply the digital computer to control of paper machines in mass production of many types of paper. Much of his research involved fluid flow, fiber suspensions and paper sheet formation. He had a creative and inventive mind and was responsible for some paper machine innovations and equipment still in use today world-wide.
In 1970, he decided to pursue a career in Mead’s Engineering Technical Service Department, both as a manager and as an expert engineer. George retired in 1994 and then worked as a consultant to Mead for six more years, finally leaving his many friends at Research and the Chillicothe Mill in 2000. In his retirement George enjoyed his family, friends, travel and his home with its large, wooded lot for another 20 years.
A private celebration of George’s life will be held with his family members at the family’s convenience.
A memorial contribution may be made to Heartland Home Health Care & Hospice, or to your own favorite charity.
