Honoring Life in Our Regular March In direction of Dying
John Longstreth was born on August sixteenth, 1943, in Hollywood. He grew up and lived most of his life in Orange County California and died on April 2nd, 2022, in Spherical Rock, Texas. He’s survived by his brother Tracy, son Victor, and 6 grandchildren: Jordan, Nick, Lundy, Lauren, Isaac, and Rachel together with one nice grandson Eric-Russell.
My dad was the first-born to his dad and mom Harry and Mary Longstreth. Subsequent was Tracy his brother, then got here his candy little sister Mary-Kay. They lived in a lovely house in a pleasant quiet neighborhood in sunny Santa Ana. They had been an idyllic household portrait. However this lovely scene drastically modified after his sister Mary-Kay died on the tender age of three. My dad was solely 9 years previous. After this tragedy my dad’s father (who fought in WWII and was deployed in Korea when Mary-Kay died) returned house a tyrant, taking out a lot of his furry and frustration on my dad. With out going into element let’s simply say my dad was severely deprived by his father’s remedy and this ache was one thing my dad carried with him his whole life. Fortunately his mom was a powerful and supportive soul.
My dad grew to become a little bit of a juvenile delinquent as a teen. He would usually inform the story of the day his delinquency ended when an earnest soccer coach came around him in juvenile corridor. The coach instructed him that if he would put his hand on the bible and swear that he would by no means steal one other automobile he would get him out of juvenile corridor to play soccer. Now I might be incorrect, however I imagine this was the primary ever alter name to come back ahead to play soccer for Jesus. My dad agreed and went on to change into the captain of the soccer crew at Santa Ana Excessive Faculty and saved his phrase by no means stealing one other automobile.
My dad was additionally a surfer, and imagine it or not, was in one of many authentic surf rock bands of that period. They had been known as Rhythm Rockers. He even acquired his youthful brother Tracy within the band. They launched an album entitled Soul Browsing in 1963. After the Rhythm Rockers disbanded, he toured briefly in Japan with the Chantay’s and The Righteous Brothers. It was then that he found his true ardour in life which was the classical guitar. So naturally he hopped on a cargo ship with a few highschool associates and launched into an journey that took him throughout the ocean. He settled in Spain and Morocco for a time, the place he studied and practiced, studying all he might about his new commerce.
He was married to his highschool sweetheart Lene, they usually had two lovely kids Eric and Emily. Sadly, their marriage led to a painful divorce. My dad was devastated, notably as a result of he was separated from his kids.
This led him to pour extra of himself into the guitar. He labored varied jobs to try to make ends meet, when sooner or later, lo and behold he met a lovely girl named Yolanda they usually quickly had a son, Victor. Sadly, this marriage did not final both. It appeared John was to change into the very embodiment of the lonely, ravenous artist, struggling for his craft. With every disappointment he plunged himself deeper into his research and his ardour for the guitar grew stronger. His true prized possession and longest enduring love was his Ramirez guitar. The guitar was a real magnificence, hand crafted in Spain bearing Andre Segovia’s signature on the label. Segovia after all is without doubt one of the biggest guitar gamers who ever lived.
In 1983 when my dad turned 40, he give up ingesting chilly turkey and by no means had one other drop. Though, he did develop a propensity for the California greens (however even this modified in his ultimate years). In his forties he spent a lot of his time studying books, sheet music and educating himself to play among the most advanced and exquisite items ever written. One in every of his favourite albums throughout this era was by John Williams entitled Echoes of Spain, which is a set of music by Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz. It was initially written for piano however when transcribed for guitar it captured the true essence of the Spanish spirit and sound (which my dad cherished).
So, as the favored music scene within the 80’s shifted into New Wave and “Large-Hair-Bands” my dad’s musical pursuits had been as far faraway from popular culture as one might get. I bear in mind telling him this joke, “What is the distinction between a classical guitar participant and a big pizza? A big pizza can feed a household of 4.” He laughed and thought it was humorous, however it did not deter him one iota. He would follow for hours on finish. I can bear in mind listening to him rehearse Albeniz’s Asturias and watching his fingers in amazement. He would heat up by doing scales after which launch into the piece. On the time he was dwelling in Mexico and his enjoying would echo by means of the house as his foot stool creaked underneath the load of his depth and the metronome would click on into the wee hours of the night time. One in every of my dad’s biggest hopes was to make it large and to earn sufficient cash to place his damaged household again collectively as greatest as he might.
He additionally had the reward of gab and fancied himself a lecturer too. For those who had been going to hearken to him play you had been additionally going to be taught one thing in regards to the piece, the composer, the fashion, and many others. I bear in mind him performing in Santa Ana at Chapman Faculty on an evening that was spotlighting quite a lot of completely different classical guitar gamers. Every guitarist sat down, performed their 3 songs, and by no means uttered a phrase. Not my dad. When he took the stage, he started with a prolonged introduction and charmed the group. He did this earlier than every bit and had the live performance corridor captivated by his efficiency and his entertaining insights. Sure, he was fairly the conversationalist. He might cowl quite a lot of subjects, from classical music and artwork, to politics, science, and quantum physics. From sports activities and automobiles to Kierkegaard. At occasions he is also extraordinarily intense, I imply EXTREMELY intense. However simply while you had been pondering “man this man is about to blow a gasket,” he’d pretend a fall or do one thing so foolish you simply needed to chortle.
He cherished books and had an eclectic assortment. One of many books he cherished was the Bible. Regardless that dad did not develop up attending church, by means of most of his life he noticed Jesus as an incredible man with some profound and puzzling phrases of knowledge. I’m grateful to report that after many, many discussions on this subject he grew to become way more orthodox in his Christian religion. In actual fact, in 2015 he started attending companies at Kim Riddlebarger’s church, Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, CA. My dad was 72 years previous on the time.
He additionally cherished books on music and music principle. He was a giant fan of the Schillinger System of Musical Composition. As a young person he tried to show me to play classical guitar, however I did not have the persistence. So, I got here up with a superb compromise. Since my dad started by enjoying bass, I assumed hey, he can educate me to play bass and we will play collectively, which we did for a number of years. We even recorded six instrumental authentic tracks. His brother Tracy performed drums on the session. Now, the bass participant might have been a bit extra polished, however the guitarist was distinctive. My dad additionally taught me how you can surf, play baseball, soccer and how you can throw the frisbee with a real California fashion.
In his later years he wrote extra and performed much less however actually loved arranging music for different devices to accompany the guitar. He recorded just a few of those items in his sixties. Sadly, after his stroke in 2017 he was now not capable of play the guitar however nonetheless wrote music. Fortunately, he got here to reside with us and for the final 5 years of his life he acquired to take pleasure in some critical high quality household time. Having seen each of his kids die from his first marriage, he took nice consolation and comfort within the time he was capable of spend with Isaac and Rachel and cherished the vacations collectively. He additionally cherished attending church collectively as a household. He was deeply touched by the great music, choir, sermons, and liturgy at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin.
We’d usually talk about sermons or books collectively. I bear in mind a quote from Augustine that actually struck a chord with him. The quote was, “The place I Am Not I, I Am Extra Fortunately I.” As we mentioned its that means, we boiled it right down to this. The much less we see of ourselves and the extra we see of Christ, in us, the happier we change into (because the apostle Paul says, “It’s now not I who reside, however Christ who lives in me”.) You see, each one among us has a imaginative and prescient of the individual we lengthy to be, or the individual we pleasure ourselves to be, and even the individual we think about ourselves to be. But, after life humbles us with some laborious knocks, and the failures and regrets start to pile up. It’s my hope that every one among us, like my dad, will flip to Christ, confess our sins, and obtain forgiveness. It is just right here, in Christ, that we’re actually redeemed, accepted, and cherished.
We additionally mentioned how a lot kids be taught from us by merely watching and listening. We talked about how everybody in our house was studying from him how you can be a grandfather and how you can develop previous, face difficulties, failing well being and in the end how you can die. Easy methods to die with braveness within the assurance of Christ’s redemption.
On one among his ultimate days my dad stated to me, “Son, I believe I am dying.” As I held his hand, I answered, “sure, all of us are dad, you are simply going to enter God’s kingdom a bit sooner.” So, I requested him to avoid wasting me a seat and he can fill me in on all the things I missed. One in every of his favourite passages of scripture was 1 Corinthians 13:10-12:
10 However when that which is ideal comes, then that which is partly shall be carried out away.
11 After I was a baby, I spoke as a baby, I understood as a baby, I assumed as a baby: however after I grew to become a person, I put away infantile issues.
12 For now we see by means of a glass, darkly; however then head to head: now I do know partly; however then shall I do know whilst additionally I’m identified.
It’s a wonderful thought that my dad is now beholding the face of God and has actually change into the person he was destined to be.
To plant Memorial Bushes in reminiscence of John Preston Longstreth, please click on right here to go to our Sympathy Retailer.

Printed by Fuller-Sheffield Funeral Companies, Inc. on Might 18, 2022.