Frank Longley

Frank Brown Longley, age 98, was called home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Frank was born on June 22, 1924, to William Henry Longley and Mary Margaret (Brown) Longley in the small town of Meyers, Oklahoma. When he graduated from Foraker High School in 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the 3rd Batallion, 160th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division, fighting in WWII in the Philippines.

After his discharge in 1946, Frank went to Southwestern College in Winfield, KS, under the G.I. Bill, earning a B.A. in Business Management in 1950.

After receiving his degree, Frank moved to Tulsa and worked for American Airlines as an auditor. In 1954 he left American and joined Continental Oil Company, moving to Ponca City, OK. It was there he met the love of his life, and wife for 62 years, Joanna Lee Maxwell. The couple moved with Conoco to Tripoli, Libya, North Africa, where they lived for 9 years with their 2 daughters. After returning from Libya, Frank applied for an assistant controller position with Kansas State University, where he worked the next 20 years until his retirement in 1989.

In 2008, Frank and Joanna moved from Manhattan, KS, to Bartlesville, OK, to be closer to family.

Frank was an avid bowler and loved to play golf well into his later years. Throughout his life, he enjoyed watching many sports at Kansas State University, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball. He had a knack for numbers, and an amazing memory for facts and statistics, especially for his beloved Wildcat teams. Frank and his wife also loved baseball, traveling to every major league stadium in the U.S., and even Toronto. Frank was very proud of his Native American heritage and was a member of the Cherokee Nation. One of his proudest moments was receiving the Cherokee Warrior Award from Chief Hoskins, honoring his military service.

Frank enjoyed serving his community, serving in several service organizations including Sertoma (Manhattan, KS) and Civitan (Bartlesville, OK), where he was awarded the club’s Honor Key and Civitan of the Year. He also enjoyed serving on several boards at his church, Good Shepherd Presbyterian.

He is survived by his wife, Joanna Longley; two daughters, Jennifer Gilliard and husband John of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and Donna Boultinghouse and husband Bart of Ocho Rios, Jamaica; one sister, Mary May Minnie; 4 grandchildren, Veronica Ivy (Chris), Vanessa Gilliard, Jennifer Erin Hansen, James Shaw (Brooke); 5 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers (William, Thomas, and Gilliam) and four sisters (Dolly, Fannie, Ruth, and Nancy).

When interviewed in 2018 for an article in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Frank was asked: “How do you want to be remembered?” Frank responded, “As someone who kept his word.” Frank Longley was a kind, honest man, who loved animals and will be fondly remembered by all his family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be mailed to Mary Martha Outreach, 1845 W. 4th St., Bartlesville, OK 74003, or made online at https://cceok.org/marymarthaoutreach.

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 12th, from 10-8 at the Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel, 918-333-7665, 4201 Nowata Rd, Bartlesville, with family receiving guests from 6-8 p.m. Services will be held later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Carter Davis and the Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.