Merle Long, 69, of Blue Springs, Missouri, formerly of South Sioux City, Nebraska, died on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at Kansas City Hospice House and Palliative Care.

Funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 1, 2025, at Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. Reverend Trish Underberg will officiate. Burial will be at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Craig, Iowa. Visitation with the family present will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. There will be a Prayer Service at 5:00 p.m. Visitation will resume from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Monday at the funeral home. Expressions of sympathy can be extended to the family through www.rexwinkelfh.com.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials can be made to Kansas City Hospice House and Palliative Care and the Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, in care of Rexwinkel Funeral Home, PO Box 711, Le Mars, Iowa 51031.

Merle Leroy Long, born July 19, 1956, at the Jackson County Hospital, Maquoketa, Iowa.  He is the son of Laurence L. Long and Zoe Lorraine (Shipton) Long.

Merle attended Maquoketa Community Schools and graduated in the Class of 1974. While in high school, he gained all-conference honors in both basketball and baseball. After high school graduation, he attended the University of Dubuque from which he earned a degree in Business Administration. Also, while there, he was elected co-captain of the baseball team while finishing second in the league in ERA his senior year. He pitched three summers for the Maquoketa Indians town team as well.

On April 14, 1984, he was married to Kimberly Haage, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Craig, Iowa. To this union, two daughters were born: Katherine in 1987 and Kelli in 1990.

At the time of his marriage, he was working for the Iowa State Department of Banking. On November 1st, 1984, he went to work at Nebraska State Bank in South Sioux City. There, he serviced commercial and agricultural loans and served on the Board of Directors and the Management Committee. In addition to his work duties, he served in many volunteer positions, including the Siouxland Economic Development Corporation, the South Sioux City Youth Football League, the South Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, and President of the church council at First Lutheran Church. He retired from banking in September of 2019. He moved to the Kansas City area in June of 2021.

Merle is a direct descendant of John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden who were early settlers of North America and came to our country via the Mayflower. Through this relationship, he is related to many famous people, including Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Merle always has been a HUGE Iowa Hawkeye fan. Growing up in eastern Iowa, he attended University of Iowa athletic events from a very young age. He was also an avid Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs fan.

More than anything, he loved his family; particularly his wife, two daughters and two granddaughters. He will live in their hearts forever.

Surviving him is his wife Kim; daughter Dr. Katie (Ryan) Oatman and granddaughters Madi and Zoey of Lee's Summit, MO; daughter Kelli (Tony) Tran of Elkhorn, Nebraska; sisters Laura Jo Swessinger of Des Moines, Iowa, and Linda Tubbs of Eldridge, Iowa, brother Lary (Connie) Long of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; brothers-in-law Kurt (Rita) Haage of Akron, Iowa, and Troy (Becky) Haage of Ankeny, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Laurence and Zoe Long, and brothers-in-law, Jim Swessinger and Bill Tubbs.