John Edward DeLong, 76, of Murfreesboro passed from this life on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Murfreesboro.

John was born Monday, Aug. 14, 1944 in Indianapolis, Ind., the son of the late Marion DeLong and the late Helen Edmonson DeLong. He was raised in Clayton, Ind., where he excelled in baseball and basketball. He also was in chorus, band, and drama in high school. He studied at Purdue University where he became an engineer. After college, he served the U.S. Navy and took five tours of combat in the Vietnam War.

After his service in Vietnam, he went to various cities in Asia. While he was stationed in Japan, he met Hiroko Katada and they were married in 1970 at the United States Embassy in Tokyo. They moved back to John’s hometown in Clayton, Ind., and raised a son Donald, and a daughter Simone. As an industrial engineer, he worked at Linkbelt, International Harvester and Batesville Casket in Indiana. In 1989, he moved his family to McMinnville, as he took a position at the Carrier air conditioning plant.

John was an avid sports fan, especially baseball. His favorite team was the Atlanta Braves in which during the summer, you would always find him catching up on a game or talking about the last Braves game. He also loved to garden, and took great pride in growing beautiful flowers around his house. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit.

John is survived by his son Donald DeLong, daughter Simone DeLong, three grandchildren Anastasia, Rachael, and Ethan, and many other family members and friends.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by his wife Hiroko DeLong.

A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Gardens of Memory Cemetery, 5201 Manchester Hwy, Smartt, TN 37378 with veteran honors by American Legion Post 173 Honor Guard and VFW Post 5064. Online condolences may be made at gardensofmemoryfuneralhome.com.

Southern Standard

(McMinnville, Tenn.) Nov. 20, 2020