Kenneth Long

Kenneth Walter Long, beloved father, husband, son, brother, and friend, passed too soon on June 10, 2021 in St. George, Utah. He fought COVID-19 with everything he had, and his body is finally at peace.

Ken was born on May 29, 1969 to Lloyd “K” and Marianne Long in Las Vegas, Nevada. He grew up with his five siblings in Las Vegas and absolutely loved the memories he had with his family. His parents were his greatest heroes. Ken was an avid outdoorsman, learning to rock climb, camp, SCUBA dive, and run at a young age. He grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and remained steadfast throughout his life. Being a part of the church brought him so much joy. You could often find him asleep with his scriptures in hand. He carried the Spirit of Christ wherever he went. He served an ASL deaf mission in Sacramento, CA and Independence, Missouri. He attended Brigham Young University and later University of San Diego where he received his Juris Doctorate. This degree gave him the opportunity to help thousands of people, many of which consider him a dear friend. Despite the decades of being a lawyer, his family was his true love and drive in life.

Ken married Jennifer Ann Lewis on May 1, 1993. He fell in love with her in high school, and he even learned sign language to try and impress her as she grew up deaf. He loved her every day of his life, and they created a beautiful life together. They could often be found going for hikes together, taking road trips to their cabin or San Diego, watching action movies, and eating Mexican food together on date nights. They lived in Provo, San Diego, Las Vegas, and most recently Virgin, Utah. Ken’s highlight of each day was coming home to the beautiful red mountains and his loving family.

To know Ken is to know how much he loved his wife and four children. Throughout Jennifer’s battle with cancer, he stayed by her side the entire time. He spoke about Jennifer to everyone who would listen; he thought she was remarkable. Ken’s face would light up as he would tell stories of his children and their accomplishments. He often found himself learning new hobbies or picking up new interests to be as supportive as possible of what love. He became a lover of wildland firefighting, cooking, dinosaurs, wheelchair rugby, nonprofit work, plant based foods, and anything else that one of his children showed excitement for. Ken was the kind of person you would call when you were excited about something; he would reciprocate that excitement.

Ken had so many accomplishments. He ran dozens of marathons. He summited several mountains through multi-day climbs with friends and family. He was certified in cave SCUBA diving, and he even helped discover the B-29 Bomber in Lake Mead, Nevada. He often would leave for a few hours and cross country ski to our cabin, snowshoe to a waterfall, do a long bike ride, or spend the day ice climbing. He was an ASL interpreter who loved signing and serving. He even conquered his fear of flying in the past few years, taking some amazing vacations to Banff and Mexico City. He was fearless, and being outside lit up his spirit.

Ken’s best days were spent at the family cabin, at church on Sunday, taking a walk with the dogs, making dinner in dutch ovens, serving community members, and, most importantly, being around his family. He was not one to sit still, which meant fun adventures to Tommy Creek, Kolob, Zion, museums, and SCUBA diving in the Midway crater. He loved telling stories, and he could captivate his audience with the most interesting stories. If you knew Ken, you loved Ken.

He is preceded in death by his parents, K & Marianne, dozens of friends and extended family, and two beloved family dogs, Sammy & Blossom. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their four children, Sage (Porter) Hancock, Taylor, Rachel, and Kaylee, as well as his siblings, Suzanne (Craig), Larry (Renee), Merrill (Michelle), Marybeth, and Doug.

A viewing will be held on Friday, June 18 from 9:30-10:30 am at the Virgin LDS Chapel (91 Mill St, Virgin, UT 84779) followed by funeral services at 11:00 am. Interment will be in the Kolob Cemetery.  Condolences may be shared online at https://www.mcmillanmortuary.com