Funeral service for SSG (Retired) Rodney Keith Long will be 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in Becker-Rabon Funeral Home Chapel with Deacon Bob Quinnett officiating.

Burial with full military honors will follow in Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin.

The family will greet friends from 6-8 pm Monday at the funeral home.

SSG (Retired) Rodney Keith Long, age 63, died Tuesday, March 19, 2019 in Oklahoma City.  He was born July 30, 1955 in Natchitoches, Louisiana to Huey P. and Mary Louise Long.  His early childhood years were spent in Louisiana.  The family moved often, returning to Louisiana in his teenage years before moving to Ohio.  At the age of 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and later joined the U.S. Army.  He retired from the Army in February of 1996 and his awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4 ^th award), Army Good Conduct Medal (6 ^th award), National Defense Service Medal (2 ^nd award), Noncommissioned Officer's Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 3, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (3 ^rd award) and the Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Rifle Bar.

He married Helene Hoffer on January 9, 1986 in Schweinfurt, Germany.  After his retirement from the military Rodney worked several jobs to include training and development of government software but most passionately he worked as a 13 ^th Foxtrot site lead instructor on Fort Sill.

He enjoyed music, being outdoors, building things and was an expert gardener.

Survivors include his wife, of the home; three children, Rodney Keith Long, III of Sapporo, Japan, Robert Benjamin Long and his fiancé Haley West, Lawton, and Vanessa Long, Lawton; two grandchildren Arianna Long and Blakely Long; and his sister, Melinda Jane Duke, Yukon, Oklahoma and a multitude of cousins, nieces, nephews whom he loved very much.

His parents and a sister, Linda Trachman, preceded him in death.