Long, Richard Earl

Richard Earl Long passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on March 22nd, 2024 at the age of 87. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy of love and life as a husband, father, grandfather, artist and friend to many.

Richard is survived by his wife Ruth (Hahn) Long, his three children: David (Barb) Long, Rebecca (Alan) Skoultchi and Rachel (Douglas) Distelrath, his 11 grandchildren: Andrew (Sarah) Long, Nathan Long, Connor (Claire) Ladig, Emily (Johnson) Young, Taylor Long, Robert Distelrath, Ethan Skoultchi, Mary Long, Katharine Distelrath, Michael Distelrath and Grace Skoultchi, and his three great grandchildren: Olivia Long, Sophia Long and Louis Long.

He is welcomed in heaven by his late son Steven Long, his parents Roy and Ruth A. (Sigman) Long, and his siblings Joann (Long) Spurgeon and Gene Long.

Richard was born in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from Southwest High School. He spent his early career at M.A. Bell working in downtown St. Louis. His background in architectural drawing inspired him to start sketching historic buildings during his lunch breaks. Little did he know, this lunchtime hobby would spark a flourishing career as a St. Louis artist. Richard specialized in black and white drawings of local area landmarks and created a business called “Scenes of St. Louis.” His artwork featured historic monuments including The Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium and Sportsman’s Park. Through his decades-long career, he created more than 600 original pieces depicting area high schools, churches, firehouses, universities and his favorite local restaurants. Many of his original pieces can be found hanging on the walls of businesses and homes in the St. Louis area and across the world today.

Richard met the love of his life, Ruth, at a church youth group and they married three years later at Christy Methodist Church in 1958. They purchased a home together and made lifelong friends through church and started traditions like an annual New Year’s Eve gathering, camping trips and apple picking during the fall. They spent 65 loving years together and worked as a team every single day. His greatest pride and joy in life was the arrival of their children David, Steven, Rebecca and Rachel. He was involved in their many activities and loved the time they shared during summer road trip vacations. Long took great pride in seeing his children graduate with degrees from Saint Louis University. He loved spending time with their dogs Snoopy and Bentley and listening to the Cardinals play baseball on KMOX radio.

Richard spent his later years cherishing family gatherings at his home in Des Peres with his grandchildren who lovingly referred to him as “Papa” and “Grandpa.” He was a regular attendee of their school functions and sporting games. Using his big imagination, he spent time with them playing on the living room floor with a collection of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys he built comprising the latest action figures, beanie babies and movie characters.

Long spent many happy years engaging in the local arts community where he shared his drawings of St. Louis landmarks with thousands, supported by his loving wife. He was a member of the South County Art Association and the St. Louis County Art Association and regularly supported Easter Seals through donations of his artwork for their annual Christmas ornament fundraiser for over 20 years.

Beyond his passion for art, what he cherished most in life was quality time spent with family. His happiest days were spent around those he loved most, even if doing nothing at all. He had a gift of making everyone he spent time with feel seen and heard. Dogs often flocked to Richard seeking his attention: Coeury, Buddy, Ellie and Daisy, just to name a few. He lived his life with a mindset of optimism, and instilled a deep sense of perseverance, commitment and integrity within every member of his family. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

A visitation in honor of Richard’s life will be held on Tuesday, March 26th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Kutis Funeral Home in Affton on Gravois Road. Friends and family are invited to pay their respects and share fond memories of Richard. A funeral service will follow on Wednesday, March 27th at 9:00 a.m. at Kutis Funeral Home. The Long Family welcomes donations on behalf of Richard to The Special Needs Soccer Association (SPENSA.org) or Stray Rescue of St. Louis in celebration of his life and his love for dogs.