Newton, N.C. - Irma Elizabeth Cline Long, a Newton native who served her hometown throughout her 87 years as an educator, historian, veterans' advocate, church and civic leader, died Friday night, April 10, 2009, following several months of ill health.
A resident for many years of Highway 10 East in Newton, she had moved two months ago to Abernethy Laurels in Newton. Mrs. Long died at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley.
Interment Eastview Cemetery in Newton.
Arrangements: Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home in Newton.
Born March 22, 1922, to George Lamar and Lillie Mae Setzer Cline, Mrs. Long was descended from pioneer Catawba County families and grew up in her family home, which had been the vice president's residence on the campus of Catawba College, which was founded in Newton.
She was married to another local native, Everett Coyner Long, who died May 23, 2000.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by brothers, Richard S. Cline, William E. Cline, Charles C. Cline and Frank L. "Pete" Cline, and sisters, Mrs. Ray (Mary) Lindsay and Mrs. Ray (Ailene) Mackie.
Her community involvement was extensive. Mrs. Long was a member of Catawba Memorial Hospital (now Catawba Valley Medical Center) Volunteers, for which she held numerous offices including president for two years. She was a long-time volunteer at the hospital with over 3,000 hours of service.
Following her mother as a member of the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Newton, Mrs. Long served as president for eight years, from 1995 to 2003.
A delegate several years to the UDC national conventions, she served as assistant director of the historical association's North Carolina District Two and hosted the state UDC convention here during her presidency.
She championed UDC volunteer service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salisbury, and continued that concern for veterans through her volunteer activities for many years with the 120-year-old Soldiers Reunion festival in Newton, taking part in the memorial service for deceased veterans.
With her love of gardening, she grew exotic plants and was a long-time member of Newton's Shorts and Jeans Garden Club, which she served as president.
Some years ago she served as a Girl Scout leader.
Socially, she was a member of several bridge clubs and was one of the community's frequent hostesses, known for her culinary skills with old-fashioned Southern dishes. She entertained organizations, church groups, friends and her family at her home and was considered a role model for contemporary "Southern ladies."
At First Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Long served as moderator of the Women of the Church, taught Sunday school, was a member of the Saints Alive senior citizens group and the CARE team.
A life-long athlete, Mrs. Long was an avid tennis player from girlhood, and during the era when men and women did not share sports activities, she was frequently called by Newton's top male tennis players to play with them.
She also was a swimmer, taking daily swims in the pool at her residence until her mid-80s.
The 1939 graduate of Newton-Conover High School was an All-State basketball player on the school team that won the Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship three years in succession.
She was drafted by the Arkansas Travelers women's professional basketball team but chose to go to Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) where she majored in elementary education and graduated in 1943.
She taught in McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, while her husband was serving as a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. They moved back to Newton after World War II and she taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the Newton-Conover City Schools from 1947 to her retirement in 1972.
A resident for many years of Highway 10 East in Newton, she had moved two months ago to Abernethy Laurels in Newton. Mrs. Long died at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley.
Interment Eastview Cemetery in Newton.
Arrangements: Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home in Newton.
Born March 22, 1922, to George Lamar and Lillie Mae Setzer Cline, Mrs. Long was descended from pioneer Catawba County families and grew up in her family home, which had been the vice president's residence on the campus of Catawba College, which was founded in Newton.
She was married to another local native, Everett Coyner Long, who died May 23, 2000.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by brothers, Richard S. Cline, William E. Cline, Charles C. Cline and Frank L. "Pete" Cline, and sisters, Mrs. Ray (Mary) Lindsay and Mrs. Ray (Ailene) Mackie.
Her community involvement was extensive. Mrs. Long was a member of Catawba Memorial Hospital (now Catawba Valley Medical Center) Volunteers, for which she held numerous offices including president for two years. She was a long-time volunteer at the hospital with over 3,000 hours of service.
Following her mother as a member of the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Newton, Mrs. Long served as president for eight years, from 1995 to 2003.
A delegate several years to the UDC national conventions, she served as assistant director of the historical association's North Carolina District Two and hosted the state UDC convention here during her presidency.
She championed UDC volunteer service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salisbury, and continued that concern for veterans through her volunteer activities for many years with the 120-year-old Soldiers Reunion festival in Newton, taking part in the memorial service for deceased veterans.
With her love of gardening, she grew exotic plants and was a long-time member of Newton's Shorts and Jeans Garden Club, which she served as president.
Some years ago she served as a Girl Scout leader.
Socially, she was a member of several bridge clubs and was one of the community's frequent hostesses, known for her culinary skills with old-fashioned Southern dishes. She entertained organizations, church groups, friends and her family at her home and was considered a role model for contemporary "Southern ladies."
At First Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Long served as moderator of the Women of the Church, taught Sunday school, was a member of the Saints Alive senior citizens group and the CARE team.
A life-long athlete, Mrs. Long was an avid tennis player from girlhood, and during the era when men and women did not share sports activities, she was frequently called by Newton's top male tennis players to play with them.
She also was a swimmer, taking daily swims in the pool at her residence until her mid-80s.
The 1939 graduate of Newton-Conover High School was an All-State basketball player on the school team that won the Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship three years in succession.
She was drafted by the Arkansas Travelers women's professional basketball team but chose to go to Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) where she majored in elementary education and graduated in 1943.
She taught in McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, while her husband was serving as a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. They moved back to Newton after World War II and she taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the Newton-Conover City Schools from 1947 to her retirement in 1972.
Newton, N.C. - Irma Elizabeth Cline Long, a Newton native who served her hometown throughout her 87 years as an educator, historian, veterans' advocate, church and civic leader, died Friday night, April 10, 2009, following several months of ill health.
A resident for many years of Highway 10 East in Newton, she had moved two months ago to Abernethy Laurels in Newton. Mrs. Long died at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley.
Interment Eastview Cemetery in Newton.
Arrangements: Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home in Newton.
Born March 22, 1922, to George Lamar and Lillie Mae Setzer Cline, Mrs. Long was descended from pioneer Catawba County families and grew up in her family home, which had been the vice president's residence on the campus of Catawba College, which was founded in Newton.
She was married to another local native, Everett Coyner Long, who died May 23, 2000.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by brothers, Richard S. Cline, William E. Cline, Charles C. Cline and Frank L. "Pete" Cline, and sisters, Mrs. Ray (Mary) Lindsay and Mrs. Ray (Ailene) Mackie.
Her community involvement was extensive. Mrs. Long was a member of Catawba Memorial Hospital (now Catawba Valley Medical Center) Volunteers, for which she held numerous offices including president for two years. She was a long-time volunteer at the hospital with over 3,000 hours of service.
Following her mother as a member of the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Newton, Mrs. Long served as president for eight years, from 1995 to 2003.
A delegate several years to the UDC national conventions, she served as assistant director of the historical association's North Carolina District Two and hosted the state UDC convention here during her presidency.
She championed UDC volunteer service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salisbury, and continued that concern for veterans through her volunteer activities for many years with the 120-year-old Soldiers Reunion festival in Newton, taking part in the memorial service for deceased veterans.
With her love of gardening, she grew exotic plants and was a long-time member of Newton's Shorts and Jeans Garden Club, which she served as president.
Some years ago she served as a Girl Scout leader.
Socially, she was a member of several bridge clubs and was one of the community's frequent hostesses, known for her culinary skills with old-fashioned Southern dishes. She entertained organizations, church groups, friends and her family at her home and was considered a role model for contemporary "Southern ladies."
At First Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Long served as moderator of the Women of the Church, taught Sunday school, was a member of the Saints Alive senior citizens group and the CARE team.
A life-long athlete, Mrs. Long was an avid tennis player from girlhood, and during the era when men and women did not share sports activities, she was frequently called by Newton's top male tennis players to play with them.
She also was a swimmer, taking daily swims in the pool at her residence until her mid-80s.
The 1939 graduate of Newton-Conover High School was an All-State basketball player on the school team that won the Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship three years in succession.
She was drafted by the Arkansas Travelers women's professional basketball team but chose to go to Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) where she majored in elementary education and graduated in 1943.
She taught in McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, while her husband was serving as a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. They moved back to Newton after World War II and she taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the Newton-Conover City Schools from 1947 to her retirement in 1972.
A resident for many years of Highway 10 East in Newton, she had moved two months ago to Abernethy Laurels in Newton. Mrs. Long died at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of Catawba Valley.
Interment Eastview Cemetery in Newton.
Arrangements: Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home in Newton.
Born March 22, 1922, to George Lamar and Lillie Mae Setzer Cline, Mrs. Long was descended from pioneer Catawba County families and grew up in her family home, which had been the vice president's residence on the campus of Catawba College, which was founded in Newton.
She was married to another local native, Everett Coyner Long, who died May 23, 2000.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by brothers, Richard S. Cline, William E. Cline, Charles C. Cline and Frank L. "Pete" Cline, and sisters, Mrs. Ray (Mary) Lindsay and Mrs. Ray (Ailene) Mackie.
Her community involvement was extensive. Mrs. Long was a member of Catawba Memorial Hospital (now Catawba Valley Medical Center) Volunteers, for which she held numerous offices including president for two years. She was a long-time volunteer at the hospital with over 3,000 hours of service.
Following her mother as a member of the Ransom-Sherrill Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Newton, Mrs. Long served as president for eight years, from 1995 to 2003.
A delegate several years to the UDC national conventions, she served as assistant director of the historical association's North Carolina District Two and hosted the state UDC convention here during her presidency.
She championed UDC volunteer service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salisbury, and continued that concern for veterans through her volunteer activities for many years with the 120-year-old Soldiers Reunion festival in Newton, taking part in the memorial service for deceased veterans.
With her love of gardening, she grew exotic plants and was a long-time member of Newton's Shorts and Jeans Garden Club, which she served as president.
Some years ago she served as a Girl Scout leader.
Socially, she was a member of several bridge clubs and was one of the community's frequent hostesses, known for her culinary skills with old-fashioned Southern dishes. She entertained organizations, church groups, friends and her family at her home and was considered a role model for contemporary "Southern ladies."
At First Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Long served as moderator of the Women of the Church, taught Sunday school, was a member of the Saints Alive senior citizens group and the CARE team.
A life-long athlete, Mrs. Long was an avid tennis player from girlhood, and during the era when men and women did not share sports activities, she was frequently called by Newton's top male tennis players to play with them.
She also was a swimmer, taking daily swims in the pool at her residence until her mid-80s.
The 1939 graduate of Newton-Conover High School was an All-State basketball player on the school team that won the Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship three years in succession.
She was drafted by the Arkansas Travelers women's professional basketball team but chose to go to Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (now UNC-Greensboro) where she majored in elementary education and graduated in 1943.
She taught in McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, while her husband was serving as a flight instructor in the Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. They moved back to Newton after World War II and she taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades in the Newton-Conover City Schools from 1947 to her retirement in 1972.
