Whether he was selling a car, riding a horse or spending time with his family, Charles Long was a true Southern gentleman.

"He was very much a gentleman until the day he died," said Peg Lindsey, one of Long's sisters. "Every time he saw a lady he would tip his hat, and he always opened the door for a lady."

Long -- who owned a car dealership in Anson for more than 25 years -- died Wednesday at the age of 77. He is survived by his wife, Carole, and his three daughters: Cindy Cochran, Chris Colley and Caron Walker.

Friends say Long was well-known in Anson and around the Big Country for his trustworthy demeanor and respect for his customers.

P.B. Middlebrook gave Long his first job as a car salesman at Middlebrook Ford in the latter part of the 1950s, and he said from the beginning, Long was not the typical car salesman.

"They tell you, if you want to see a car salesman lying, watch his mouth," Middlebrook said. "Charles was a good man, and you could depend on anything he said."

This reputation paid off when Long bought the business from Middlebrook in 1968. For years he kept the same name -- Middlebrook Ford -- until Middlebrook's son opened a business called Middlebrook Motors.

Middlebrook said Long changed the name of his dealership to Charles Long Ford, until he sold it in 1994, and it became a Lawrence Hall dealership under the new name West Texas Ford.

"Even though we were longtime competitors of Charles, he was always just one of those type of guys you always liked," said Mitch Hall, co-owner of the Lawrence Hall car dealerships.

Lindsey said people always recognized Long's face because he starred in a lot of his dealership's TV commercials. He always had his foot propped up on a stool when talking on camera, and when he left the car business Lindsey said friends and family would tease him about it.

"Everyone would always say, 'I want to know one thing: Did Charles take that stool with him when he retired?'" Lindsey said.

While most people knew him as a successful car man, Middlebrook said his true loves were roping and his family.

"He loved to be a cowboy," Middlebrook said. "He was a real meticulous dresser, and he wore Levi's with a crease in them that would nearly slice you."

Long owned Charles Long Arena and hosted several roping events until he sold the facility, Middlebrook said. Long grew up in Tuxedo, and Peg Crenshaw, Lindsey's identical twin, said he loved riding horses, roping and living the country life.

But as much as he loved riding and roping, Lindsey said it was nothing compared to the love he had for his family.

Lindsey said he was always protective of his three daughters and was always there for his wife, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Middlebrook said he cared for his wife as her condition worsened, and Lindsey said he would visit her when she was placed in a medical facility.

Long would stay with his wife at the facility, for breakfast lunch and dinner and not leave until she had gone to sleep. Although his wife sometimes would not recognize him, Lindsey said, it did not deter him from loving her.

"He made sure Carole was taken care of," Lindsey said.

"He would go out in the afternoon, pick her up, take her for a ride, ride around town and go get ice cream with her. He didn't do that one time; he did it every day."

The service for Long is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church of Anson.