Bill Ray Long, 82, Gaston, passed away Friday evening, December 30, 2022, at his home.

He was born Thursday, May 16, 1940, in Pall Mall, Tennessee, the son of Stanley O. and Ival M. (Pyle) Long. As a child, Bill and his family moved to the Gaston, Indiana area. He graduated from Harrison Township High School in 1958. Bill played basketball in high school. Family was a special part of Bill’s life. He loved spending time with his family and attending all the functions of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He married his wife, Helen in 1961 and they spent 61 loving years together. Bill was the owner and operator of Long Excavating Company for 50 years and retired in 2020. He enjoyed farming and home building in the Gaston area. Bill had a vision for design. He developed and built many homes in the Oak Ridge neighborhood.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Long; daughter, Lori (significant other, Ben) Armantrout; son, Greg (wife, Kim) Long; sister, Frances Rathel; grandchildren, Andrew Armantrout, Jordan Duncan, Shelbi Long, and Emily (husband, Matt) Kubiak; great-grandchildren, Jase Duncan, Kinsley Duncan, and Blakeley Kubiak; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jim and Cindy Winningham; several nieces; nephews; and cousins. Bill also had many friends and business acquaintances that touched his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Ival Long; a daughter, Becky Long; brothers, Jack Long, and Jim Long; sister, Sue Jeffries; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ernest and Wilma Winningham; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jim and Kay Kaiser; and his sister-in-law, Hazel Grayson.

Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, January 5, 2023, at Elm Ridge Funeral Home, 4600 West Kilgore Avenue, Muncie, Indiana 47304. Burial will follow in Elm Ridge Memorial Park.

Family and friends may call from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Thursday at Elm Ridge Funeral Home.

Bill’s family would like to extend a special thank you to Heart to Heart Hospice for the love and care that they gave him and his family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at elmridgefunerahome.com for the family.