Loman Max Long peacefully passed away on January 7th, 2022, at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Loman was born March 11th, 1923 in Brinkley Arkansas, to his mother, Rosa Lee, and father, Jesse Brontie Long.
Loman was the second oldest of his siblings, with an older brother Burvle, a younger brother Johnny “Joe”, and a younger sister, Jessie. A fond childhood memory was when his mother would make them homemade ice cream out of fresh-fallen snow.
He played football at Brinkley High School as a lineman, and was later signed to play semi-professional baseball in the Cottonseed League as a young man.
Loman was in the Army Air Corps for two years beginning in April 1944, where he served as a waist-gunner in a B-24 Liberator bomber.
After his military service, Loman moved to Oregon in 1947 with his brother Burvle to pursue logging. In 1953, he bought his own logging truck and worked as a log truck driver. He later worked for Modoc Lumber Company driving a “966” front-end loader, and the larger LeTourneau log stacker. He retired from Modoc in 1995 at the age of 72.
In August, 1950, he met his future wife, Ruth Ridderbush at the Gateway Café in Dallas, Oregon, where a warm memory was attending the Oregon State Fair together. They were married three months later on November 11th of that same year. The couple lived in several places including Salem, Toledo, Cloverdale, and Vallejo, California before moving to Klamath Falls in 1960. They had five children together, and were married until her passing on September 12th, 1998.
Loman was an avid sports fan. He loved watching the Portland Trailblazers, the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco 49ers, and the American Legion baseball team, the Klamath Falls Falcons.
In 1985, he was among Oregon’s first lottery winners when he travelled to Salem and appeared on the Oregon Lottery game show, where he had a chance to “Spin & Win” the giant wheel.
In his retirement years, Loman enjoyed spending time with family, including going to lunch at the Senior Center with his brother “Joe,” and watching old westerns on TV as well as his favorite sports teams, while hanging out with his dog, Rosie.
Loman is survived by his brother Johnny “Joe” (Jan); his children Tom Long (Deby Yates), Renatta (Susan) Long, Kathy Sorlien (Danny), and Dan Long (Michelle); his grandchildren Kelsie Koch, Evan Sorlien, Kelly Wild, Casey Tuttle, Trevor Long, Shelby Long; his great grandchildren Felicity Koch, Canaan Koch and Phoebe Koch.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Ruth; his daughter, Debra; and his grandson, Tyler.
A celebration of Loman’s life will be held in the spring at the Eagle Point National Cemetery, 2763 Riley Road, Eagle Point, Oregon. Details to be announced at a later date.