Jerry Lee Long

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, August 31, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at The Family Center at the Ankeny United Methodist Church, 206 SW Walnut Street, Ankeny, Iowa. A private family graveside service will be held at Otho Cemetery.

Jerry was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Stanley and Bernice Long on March 25, 1935. He was the 3rd oldest in a family of seven children. Jerry grew up in Fort Dodge and graduated from Fort Dodge High School. He briefly worked at the gypsum mills in Fort Dodge before moving to Chicago where he worked for a moving company.

Jerry then enlisted in the Army where he attended Army electronics school at Red Bank, NJ, then served as a missile electronics technician in Bratenahl, Ohio, after which he moved back to Fort Dodge. While residing and working in his hometown, Jerry met his future wife, Wanda Rutter of Rockwell City, Iowa. Jerry and Wanda were married on August 26, 1962, and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Jerry attended school for Physical Therapy at the University of Minnesota. Jerry worked as a physical therapist in Minneapolis, Des Moines, and then Webster City, Iowa, where he was the head of Physical Therapy for Hamilton County Public Hospital and surrounding communities.

Jerry was a member of the team that created the State EMT program. As a drummer and vocalist, he was an avid musician, taking part in his church choir and various musical and choral groups throughout his life. Jerry loved to build and renovate and worked on many housing projects. Jerry enjoyed an active lifestyle which he passed along to his family. He loved to go biking and would not miss an opportunity to take off on a long bike ride whenever he was able.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Wanda; their four children, Clifford, Colleen Eshuis (Darren), Cynthia Stankiewicz (Dan), and Curtis; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren, and his sister, Doris Fenton. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Stan and Bernice Long, and his siblings, Stanley, William, David, Carol and Jean.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Taylor House Hospice, 3401 East Douglas Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50317, or to the Iowa Methodist School of Nursing Alumni Association, in care of Christine Parker, 1314 S.W. Campus Lane, Ankeny, IA 50023, please make checks out to IMSN Alumni Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be left at www.ankenyfuneralhome.com for the Long family.