Dorothy Fern Long was born on February 13th, 1941 to parents Orval and Leila Sampson. She grew up in Hurley, South Dakota with her 8 siblings Darlene, Loretta, Janice, Donna, Harris, Les, Darrell, and Merlin. At a young age she lost her mother and grew close to her grandmother, Leanna. Dorothy was often singing which started in her youth when she sang gospel hymns with her father and siblings. She loved to sing so much that she wrote her own songs and even recorded a few.  

When she was 18 years old,, she moved from South Dakota to Colorado where she met Wayne Rockman. They would marry in 1960 and have 3 children - Prudence, Kelly, and Wayne. She raised her children in her yellow house on Benton street, right across the street from her sister and dear friend Jan. Later she would marry Nick Long in 1990 with whom she was married to until his passing in January of 2021. 

Her most loved role was being a grandma and great-grandma to her 7 grandchildren, Nicole, Jordan, Alyssa, Ashlyn, Kamryn, Kaiden, Kai, and 5 great-grandchildren Bailey, Jeanetta, Brantley, Charlotte, and Zoe. She often sang songs to her grandchildren like, " Mama's little baby loves shortnin bread" and "Put your shoes on Lucy". She loved to cook and bake with her grandchildren, the favorites being her spaghetti sauce, chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin pie. Her love of music and good food has been passed on to them. 

To the end, she was devout in her faith. She attended church on Sunday, tithed, and donated to the poor and hungry. She sat in the same pew each Sunday and loved to sing the hymns. Tuesday November 12,2024 Dorothy returned home to God in a peaceful sleep at the age of 83. She has joined her sisters, Darlene and Lorretta who preceded her in death. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and siblings who dearly miss her. 

A Celebration of Life honoring Dorothy will be taking place on March 28th, 2025 from 12pm to 4pm at the Arbor House at Maple Grove park in Golden, CO.