Leonard E. Long's Obituary
DECATUR ' Leonard E. Long ' beloved husband, father and educator nonpareil ' died Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at home in the company of family members after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 75.
Leonard was born Aug. 4, 1936, in Colchester, Ill., to Gale A. and Era (Campbell) Long. The family later moved to Beloit, Wis., where he graduated from Beloit High School in 1954.
On Sept. 7, 1957, he married the love of his life, Catherine 'Betty' Reedy, with whom he had four wonderful children.
He earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1958. He taught 7th and 8th grades for a year in Waconda, Ill., before he and Betty moved back to Beloit to be closer to family.
After toiling for a couple of years in jobs that involved manual labor, Leonard made the move back to a profession that truly involved heavy lifting ' that of teaching. He joined the Decatur School District in 1961 and spent six years teaching English and social studies at Roosevelt Junior High and Johns Hill Junior High. In 1967, Leonard was named assistant principal at Johns Hill, where he spent four years before taking over as principal of John Adams Elementary School in 1971. In 1984, he was named principal of Parsons Elementary School, from which he retired in 1992.
Leonard also taught GED classes at Webster-Cantrell Hall for many years and at the Decatur Vocational Center for a short time after his retirement.
Leonard's career as an educator was framed by his zeal for learning and his defense of those who were underprivileged. 'Mr. Long,' as he was appropriately called, befriended many students and taught them the value of an education. His duties as principal included intervening in petty playground disputes, counseling wayward parents, and giving children who needed his help a ride home. Along the way, he touched the lives of many young people and by the time of his retirement, he was teaching the children of the children he had enlightened earlier in his career.
Leonard was an avid fan of the Fighting Illini, the namesake of the university from which he earned a Master's Degree in 1964. He was a staunch advocate of The Chief. He loved golfing, fishing and entertaining family and friends with his wit and colorful stories.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty of Decatur; four children, Cathy (George) Althoff of Baraboo, Wis., Steve Long of Tampa, Fla., Susan (Dr. Tim) Johnson of Plymouth, Mich., and Laura Long of Pittsburgh, Pa.; a sister, Sharon Ahlrich of Decatur; five grandchildren, Alicia (David) Bates, Libby (Xili Syla) Fleming, Jacob Fleming, and Evan and Alex Johnson; two step-grandchildren, Matthew (Gemma) Althoff and Andrew (Amy) Althoff; three great-grandchildren, Arabella and Gianna Bates, and Ammar Syla; two step great-grandchildren, Fiona and Simon Althoff; and his loyal dog, Max.
Leonard was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Bernard.
A visitation to gather and to share memories with the family will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, December 10, at Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home, 2091 N. Oakland Ave., Decatur. Interment will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Decatur Cancer Care Charitable Fund, 210 W. McKinley, Decatur, IL 62526.
Good night, Mr. Long. Thank you for being a great teacher.
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