Mr. Rufus A. Long's Obituary
Rufus Albert Long
February 18, 1929 – August 15, 2016
Nashville mourns the lost of a talented and popular musician. Rufus Albert Long (87), LaVergne, (Rutherford) Tennessee on (15 August 2016) .
Rufus was born in Hendersonville, Tennessee to Albert W. Long and Helen C. Ragsdale Long. He graduated from Isaac Litton High School in 1947; attended Peabody College where he graduated with his Masters in Music Education (1951).
After graduation, he began his teaching at Walker County High School in Jasper, Alabama. On November 22, 1951 he married Mary Hannah Gillespie. During this time he received his notice from the draft board. He returned to Nashville and joined the U. S. Air Force and was stationed in Madison, Wisconsin with the 504 Air Force Band where he was assigned as conductor. Later he was transferred to Washington D.C. and became a member of the famous “Airmen of Note”.
In 1956, after his tour of duty, he became a teacher in the old Nashville City Schools, first as a roving elementary teacher then became director of East High School band. It was at this time that he became first flutist with the Nashville Symphony and was very active in the recording industry, while also running his own dance band. Over his career, he gained respect as band director at East, Hillwood, Hendersonville, Beech and Brentwood High Schools.
In 1988, he retired from teaching and became associated with Opryland as a musician. He and Mary moved to Florida in 1993 where he played at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater. They returned to Nashville where he taught privately for several more years, while also playing with several dance bands.
After Mary’s death in 2010, Rufus married his college sweetheart, Evelyn Campbell Aldred.
In April 2016 he was inducted into the Middle Tennessee Bandmaster Hall of Fame.
Rufus was preceded in death by his father, Albert Wellington Long; mother, Helen Ragsdale Long; wife, Mary Hannah Gillespie Long; brother, Julian Luck; and sister, Helen Corinne Whitney.
Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Aldred Long; son, Gilbert Anderson Long (Erin); daughter, Vicki Long Jordan (John); grandchildren, Matthew Gray Jordan (Jazmin), Jennifer Louise Wagner (David), Hannah Margrit Long, and Jessica Anderson Long; stepson, William Hughes Aldred (Donna); nieces, Suzanne (Steve) Rupe, Gayle Happell (Perry), and Darlene Luck.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the charity of your choice.
Services will be announced by the family at a later date.
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