James E. DeLong, 87

James E. DeLong, 87, died Friday, May 21, 2010, in Kalispell. He was born May 16, 1923, at Shawnee, Okla., to Jacob and Amelia DeLong. He served in the U.S. Navy, serving two tours in the South Pacific in 1943 and 1944; he was one of five brothers who were serving in the Armed Forces at the same time. One of his first jobs after the war was as a lineman building power lines to Eureka; that is where he met Helen Shenefelt and they were married, a union which lasted 55 years. They raised four children together and moved throughout the western U.S. Golf was his passion and he was involved in Meadow Lake Country Club at its beginning. He retired as greens keeper from there and, in his early 80s, coached the Eureka high school golf team. He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, and daughter, Virginia. Surviving him are his three sons, Tom and Annette DeLong; Dennis and Susan DeLong, and Kevin DeLong; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 29, at Tobacco Valley Cemetery in Eureka. Austin Funeral Home is assisting the family.