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Jim Long

Jul 3, 1937 - Jan 27, 2011
Knowledge and art were the guiding forces in Jim's life. His endless curiosity fueled a lifelong pursuit of new ideas and skills and his boundless creativity manifested itself in every endeavor. However, it was his enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge which will be his true legacy. Everyone who knew him could easily call up a recollection of something they had learned from Jim.

After graduation from the Black Hills Teacher's College with a Bacelor's degree in Art Education, Jim taught elementary and middle school students in the Gas Hills, Morton and Arapahoe. He later left teaching art as a career and spent a decade working for Union Carbide where he drove heavy equipment and worked in the warehouse. Throughout his years at Union Carbide, Jim continued to learn and try new things and to express his creativity. It was during this period that he began creating sculpture to be cast in bronze.

It was also during this period that Jim and his wife Lorraine began investing in the real estate market, purchasing and repairing a number of rental properties in Riverton. In 1983, when the uranium production dwindled, Jim took his ever expanding know-how in home repair and applied it to his own small business as a remodeling contractor. He spent the next seventeen years building, painting and fixing all over town.

Even with the demands of running a business and maintaining a growing number of rental proplerties in Riverton and Shoshoni, the urge to teach and share art with others remained strong. In 2000, Jim began teaching evening pottery classes at Central Wyoming College. In 2002, he stopped leading formal classes, but continued on at CWC as a valuable Art Department resource, spending most of his time helping in the ceramics studio and bronze casting classes. In that same year, he won the Periot award for his outstanding contribution to the Art Department.

Outside the college, Jim spent countless hours in his own art studo producing a variety of handmade pottery which he sold for several years at Riverton's annual Day in the Park and the Saint Margaret's Christmas Fair. A few years later, when he finally retired, Jim expanded his artistic interests to stained glass and once again took up sculpting and bronze casting.

In a life defined by hard work, creative passion, and continuous learning and teaching, Jim has touched the lives of many. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine, his son Patrick and his wife May Lynn Long of Riverton, his daughter Storm Long and her spouse of Berkeley, CA, and four grandchildren, Cody, Garett, Jessican and Wyatt.

Cremation will take place and a Memorial Service will be held at a later date.