Mary Long

Mary Belk Long, 89, of Columbia and Keenan High School Teacher, died in Chapel Hill, NC on October 17, 2010 after a long illness. She had lived in Columbia for most of her life ? serving as a high school teacher at both Columbia High School and Keenan Junior and Senior High Schools. She was a long-time member of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Since 2000 she had lived in the Durham/Chapel Hill area. Mary was born in Waxhaw, NC on May 18, 1921 to Henry Craig Belk and Kathleen Bates Belk. She grew up in Van Wyck, SC and graduated with a teaching degree from Winthrop College. She married James Luther Long of Chester, SC in 1942 while he was serving in the navy in the Pacific during WWII. They lived in Chester SC where she taught until 1959 when they moved to Columbia and Mary began her long career as a teacher in the Columbia school system. Mary devoted much of her life to her children and grandchildren and is survived by her loving sons John Long and his wife Anamaria Viveros of Springfield, VA and Jimmy Long and his wife Betsy Crosby of Chapel Hill, NC and by grandchildren Daniel Long of Middletown, CT, Andrea Long-Wagar of Germantown, MD, Andrew Long of Chapel Hill, NC and Tiffany Long of Raleigh, NC. and by great-grandchildren Asher Long, Charis Long, and Isabel Wagar. Services will be held in Columbia at Greenlawn Funeral Home on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 1:00 PM, with burial to follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park.