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- John Thurrell Long was born May 9th, 1907 in Newberry County.
He married Thelma Era Enlow on July 26th, 1926. They had 4 children: Dorothy Eva, John Thurrell, Jr. and twins, Duane Ray and Irene Faye.
John Thurrell (called Thurrell by his wife, Era, and J.T. by his many friends, worked in his father's sawmill until it closed down. He then went to work driving a truck for a lumber company in Little Mountain. In 1940 he moved his family to Richtex, in Fairfield County, SC. (a close neighborhood of families who worked for the Richtex Brick Company) where he worked as a truck driver until his retirement at age 62.
After his retirement, he and his wife, Era, moved back to Newberry County. He bought a home in Prosperity, Newberry County, SC. He was a member of Mount Tabor Lutheran Church and was much loved by all. Children and adults all loved to hear him tell his "stories".
In his younger days, he was an avid hunter and fisherman. At age 12, he was given a double barreled shot gun, by his father, that he and his peers all admired. He instilled the love of his outdoor sports in his two sons.
He was a little like Will Rogers. He never met a man he didn't like, but he took it a little farther than that, he never met a man that didn't like him either. He threw up his hand and greeted car drivers he met on the road. He gave a ride to those who needed one. He made many friends on his truck driving routes. He always had another story to tell when he came home. He enjoyed life and loved his family. He has been greatly missed, but left a lot of wonderful memories.
1985 - The Death Certificate of John Thurrell Long lists:
Birth as May 9, 1907 - Death as January 3rd, 1985 - Age 77
Birthplace: Newberry County
Widowed
Father: James A. Long
Mother: Alma Shealy
Informant: Dorothy L. Wiles
Occupation listed as "Truck Driver"
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