Mary Long

For modern women, a career is often given priority while the job of being a mother takes a backseat. Mary Long's life story, however, is a testimony of the eternal impact that a mother can have on the lives of her children and her family. As a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, the love and dedication that she showed to each person in her life is beyond compare. She was a strong woman and a born nurturer, from the time she lost her own mother and she began raising her younger siblings to the day she left this earth, she never stopped caring for her family. Throughout her entire life she remained dedicated to their well-being, and cherished every last minute she had with them.

Our story begins in the heart of North Carolina, late in the summer of 1927. The twenties hadn't been quite as kind to North Carolina's farmers as they had to the rest of the country, yet families were living quite contentedly on nature's abundance of cotton and tobacco. In the rural community of Roseboro, Miles and Lela (Faircloth) Melvin were living high on the hog, quite literally. Miles was a hog farmer by trade, and with two children already, he and his wife were expecting their third to be born any day. At last, on September 18th, a baby girl arrived and they named her Mary.

Summer quickly turned to fall and days into years and Mary soon found herself an older sister to seven younger siblings. Altogether there were ten Melvin children growing up on the farm, including her five brothers and four sisters. From an early age, Mary was given plenty of responsibility around the house and she quickly became a second mother to the younger children. Sadly, her own mother passed away when she was still a young girl, leaving behind a large family who would come to depend on Mary for care and support.

Before she reached her fifteenth birthday, Mary had already found the man she was going to marry. Floyd Johnson was a family friend whom Mary had met when she was barely a teenager. Despite the age difference between them, they fell deeply in love and wed on January 5, 1942. While she may have left her father's house, she was certainly not running from her job as the matriarch of her family. Instead, her father and younger siblings moved in with her and Floyd on their farm and she continued to care for them.

Mary loved her role as a wife and mother and, in the years that followed, she and Floyd added five children of their own to the family. With so many hungry mouths to feed, Floyd tended to the farm, raising animals and crops for food, while Mary managed the home and cared for the children. Just a week before Christmas one year, their house caught fire and much of what they had was destroyed. Together they worked hard to rebuild everything they had lost. Mary was especially resourceful when it came to running a household, even making the girls' dresses by hand. She was also a great cook and could make any ingredients stretch until a full meal. While the children were growing up she became famous for preparing big Sunday breakfasts.

In 1955, Mary, Floyd, and the children decided to leave the south and move to Lawrence, Michigan, where her brother lived. They lived in Lawton for awhile before finally settling in Kalamazoo, where they had two more children. Despite being separated by distance, they never forgot where they came from and each summer they piled all seven children into the car and headed back to North Carolina for a visit with their relatives. After a very spending 22 years with one another, Floyd passed away in 1964, leaving behind a grief stricken Mary to raise their children on her own. She would always remember the weekend drives that she and Floyd took together.

A couple of years later, Mary found love once again with a man named M.C. Long. When they married in October of 1966, Mary not only gained a husband, but seven stepchildren as well. She and M.C. were very active together. They loved going to the lake and enjoyed fishing, they also liked gardening, travel, and spending time with their family. From picnics in Crumb Park to large holiday gatherings, Mary cherished every moment spent in the company of her family. Christmas Eve was always a special time when everyone got together to celebrate the holiday.

At one point during their marriage, Mary and M.C. moved to Louisiana, but she couldn't stand to be apart from her family so they moved back to Michigan just one year later. They were the first retired couple to move into Dillon Hall and Mary wasted no time making friends out of her new neighbors. While living there, M.C. suffered a stroke. Mary spent the next several years caring for him until his death in 1985. After her husband's death Mary remained at Dillon Hall surrounded by the many close lady friends she had made there.

Now in her golden years, Mary continued to do the things she had always enjoyed. She loved listening to country music, spending time at the lake, and playing bingo. She also liked to take trips to Blue Chip Casino where she could gamble on the boat and hosting family poker nights. Mary had a devotion to her family that was truly beyond compare and she worked hard to keep them all close. In 2003 she lost one of her sons and in 2006 her son Paul "Butch" was in an accident that debilitated him. Although she was greatly affected by these tragic events in her life, she remained strong, relying on prayer and her family. No matter what she was faced with, she made sure that she kept the family together. The matriarch of her family, she was a loving sister, wife, mother, and grandmother, who in passing will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Mary Long died at Kairos Dwelling on September 11, 2006 at the age of 78. Learn more about Mary and visit with her family today from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at the Rupert, Durham, Marshall & Gren Life Story Funeral Home, Plainwell, 120 S. Woodhams, where her service will be held on Thursday at 2 PM. Her family includes her children: Julie & John Hageman of Alamo, Linda Mullins of Centerville, Skeet & Michelle Johnson of North Carolina, Paul "Butch" & Mary Johnson of Plainwell, Ralph Johnson of Kalamazoo, and Debbie Crocetta of Kalamazoo; 23 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren; sister, Mildred Chapel of Louisiana, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son Don Johnson in 2003, her parents, her siblings, and two grandsons. Please visit Mary's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can view her Life Story Digital Film, sign the online guestbook, or archive a favorite memory or photo. Memorial donations may be made to Kairos Dwelling.