David Kent Long
David Kent Long, 53, passed away Friday, April 3rd in Cleveland, Ohio. He is survived by his daughter Jacquelyn and son Spencer. He was born on May 21st, 1961 in Evansville, Indiana. He was the son of Robert J. Long and Margaret Lehman Long. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State and a master’s degree in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
His daughter shared the following: With all the sadness in our hearts, my family had to say goodbye to the truly loved Dave Long this weekend. He was so much, to so many people and he will be greatly missed. If you know my dad, you know he had a big heart, and loved to make people laugh. He would go up to just about anyone, people who wore Cleveland sports attire in particular, and just start talking. He was a big supporter of the arts and a dog lover too. He was a baseball coach that never stopped giving confidence to his players. He was a social worker who cared so much about the residents and their families. He was a proud father who never stopped believing in his kids to reach their dreams, and sacrificed a lot for them. He wore a Mighty Mouse t-shirt on the day I was born, and since then, that is what he has always been, my hero.
David enjoyed cooking, the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Art Museums. David enjoyed many years going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his family. If there was a sports game on television, he was watching. David also enjoyed the ballet, watching his daughter and former wife, Suzanne Lownsbury dance. Time spent coaching his son’s Pony League teams in Virginia Beach, VA was truly valued. He spent his adult life working and supporting adults that have disabilities.
Dave lives on through his daughter, son, father and sister Kris Taphorn. He was predeceased by his mother, Margaret in 2011.
A celebration of life will be April 18th at 2:00 at Massimo Da Milano Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio.
Memorial donations can be made to Southeastern Virginia Training Center, Chesapeake, VA or Deepwood Center in Mentor, Ohio.
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Dave was one of my closest friends since I met him in math class at Fairview High School in 1977. One day Dave invited me to his house after school ostensibly to do homework. Instead we ended up shooting hoops in his driveway the whole time! It was the start of a life-long friendship and love of Cleveland sports!
Dave was one of a core group of friends who stuck together into adulthood long after our days in school. Thanksgiving Day football games in the mud in the valley. Attending countless Indians and Browns games at the old Cleveland Stadium. And many road trips to Put-In-Bay, New York City, and Las Vegas. Even after Dave moved his family to Virginia, I would occasionally get a phone call out of the blue from Dave to discuss the latest ridiculous goings-on in the Cleveland sports scene!
My deepest sympathies to Dave’s beautiful family and to all whose lives he touched in both Ohio and Virginia. I will remember him as a man with always a sunny disposition who loved to laugh!
Speaking for all of his old Cleveland buddies, Dave will be dearly missed.
I was the first person to meet Dave at Coffinberry school on his first day in Cleveland. Good guy then and he never changed. Sad to lose a FHS class mate. My condolences to his family.