More detail on this person: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Kenneth Longstreet, formerly of Shenandoah, IA on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at Whitehouse County Manor in Whitehouse, OH. John Longstreet was born on November 5, 1946 to Rex and Loretta Longstreet in Shenandoah, Iowa. John graduated from Shenandoah High School in 1965 where he played football and ran track. John then attended Cody Junior College in Cody, WY in 1966 for 1 year and played on the junior college football team. In 1967 John enlisted in the Army. After graduating from Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, John was selected to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Ft. Benning, GA. Upon completion of OCS he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1968 and attended helicopter flight school at Ft. Rucker, AL. On July 4, 1969 he was deployed to Vietnam. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in August of 1969. While flying on an air assault mission in April of 1970, John's Huey helicopter was shot down and he sustained life-threatening injuries. He was medevac'd to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, CO. He was reassigned to Ft. Stewart, GA in July 1970. John was honorably discharged with disability in 1972. After John's 6 years in the Army he flew helicopters for commercial helicopter companies in Oregon, Minnesota and Michigan. He had many interesting assignments during his second career. John continued to fly until 2002. John and his family then moved to Shenandoah. John became very active with American Legion Post 88 during his time in Shenandoah. He served as President of the American Legion Post for several years and did much to revitalize interest, membership and veteran activities. He also spoke at local schools on patriotic observances as well as the Memorial Day service at the Rose Hill Cemetery. John also provided significant input in the establishment of the VA Clinic in Shenandoah. In 2019 John moved to live with his son, Toby, in Wyoming, MI. John was preceded in death by his parents, Rex and Loretta Longstreet and his loving wife, Annie. Survivors include: his son, Toby, of Wyoming, MI; his daughter, Stephanie Albacete, of Woodbury, MN; his brother, Michael "Mick" Longstreet (Gloria) of Columbus, GA; and two nieces. In lieu of a funeral, the family requests that acknowledgments be sent to Toby Longstreet at 3519 Raven Avenue S.W., Wyoming, MI 49509.
This information was last updated 04/14/2025
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Date posted on this site: 10/13/2025
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