William J. "Bill" Long, 79, died recently after an extended illness. He is survived by his son, Randy Long of Alexandria, Virginia, his daughter, Erin Long of Orlando, Florida, and Judith Kovacs-Long of New Braunfels. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Anna and Alex, and his brother Richard Long and wife Toni of Lorain, Ohio.

Bill got to Texas as soon as he could and raised his family here in New Braunfels. He was a member of the Rotary Club of New Braunfels and was very involved in the sports and school activities of his children.

He was born in and graduated from high school in Lorain, Ohio, where he played short stop on a team that was the runner up for the Ohio state high school baseball championship. For this feat he, along with his team mates, was inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of fame in 2009.

While living in Three Rivers, Michigan, he successfully coached his son's Little League baseball teams which qualified for the finals 3 years running.

He is a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in accounting. He was elected to Beta Alpha Psi, an international honorary business society for accounting and finance majors, and became a corporate accountant. He later headed a company that sold dry cleaning equipment.

Early in his career, while working for Ford Motor Company in Lorain, he volunteered as a mentor in Junior Achievement, helping high school students develop and implement formats for small businesses. Prior to his move to New Braunfels, he headed the United Way campaign for 2 years in Three Rivers, Michigan.

His is preceded in death by his parents and two nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff of Eden Hill and Hope Hospice for their dedicated care of Bill during his long journey and in his last days.

A memorial service will be held at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home in New Braunfels, Texas on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bill's name to Hope Hospice of New Braunfels or the Alzheimer's Association.