Mrs. Florence MacDonald Long (nee Blue) of Penhold, Alberta, formerly of Lone Rock, Saskatchewan, passed away at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at the age of 91 years. Florence was born on February 27, 1930 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. She was the only child of Ira and Margaret (Cameron) Blue. She grew up on her father’s homestead and rode her horse to and from the Elementary School in Lone Rock. During High School, she boarded in Lloydminster with a close friend, and it was there that she met her friend’s brother, Leslie Long, her future husband. Florence enjoyed school and had a special passion for learning French and performing in school plays. She won a number of trophies for a performance she gave during a drama competition in Saskatoon. After finishing High School, Florence attended a Secretarial School in Saskatoon; after which, she enjoyed working for the Nelson Lumber Company in Lloydminster, for a number of years. Florence and Les became engaged in 1950 and were married on November 14, 1952 in Lloydminster. Les received an offer of employment in Red Deer; so he and Florence left Lloydminster in 1956. They moved to an apartment in the Good Acre Block of Red Deer and later bought a house in Eastview. Florence worked at the Chrysler Plant; which she greatly enjoyed, despite the commute from downtown Red Deer. Florence and Les celebrated the birth of their first child and daughter, Sheila Kathleen Long on November 22, 1961. Florence and Les moved to the acreage in Penhold in 1963; which is the Long family home to this day. Florence and Les celebrated the birth of a son, James (Jim) Steven Long on October 9, 1965. Florence left her job to raise her family and spent a good deal of her time sewing, baking and ironing while listening to CBC Radio; which supported her passion for current events and education. In 1968, listening to the CBC led to her entering and winning a letter-writing contest; which included a trip to Toronto and an appearance on the radio show. Highlights of that trip included an evening out at the Royal York Hotel with the singer Juliette, and one of the show’s hosts, Alex Trebeck! Little did she know then that she would be spending many, many years watching him on Jeopardy. Following this trip, she wrote the program a thank you letter – they found her sense of humour so amusing that they hired her to send them letters on a regular basis. As she raised her family, the house constantly smelled of cookies and cinnamon buns. Florence exercised her creativity in the kitchen by making themed birthday cakes for her children and gingerbread houses at Christmas. She was always working on some kind of decoration project in the house; and when she took a break to sit down it was usually at the sewing machine; where she made most of the children’s clothing. Volunteering in the community and actively participating in the Penhold WI helped build local connections and resulted in some lifelong friendships. She was often writing skits and making costumes for local events and festivities. One year she wrote and organized an entire production for the community Christmas Concert; starring all of the children living along Boundary Road at that time. Outdoors, Florence was just as active; where she enthusiastically demonstrated a lifelong passion for gardening and all things growing. People driving past the acreage often slowed down to admire her flowerbeds, when driving by. (a trait inherited by her daughter, but not her granddaughter!) Public Speaking was another area of interest for Florence and she was an active member of a local Toastmistress Club for years. She went on to represent the group at some Provincial competitions. Florence rejoined the workforce when she accepted a part-time job as the secretary-treasurer for the Village of Penhold, around 1969. Florence worked there for ten years before taking a job with Twilight Homes Foundation, managing their Senior Citizen Apartments in Red Deer. She was happiest in this role where she could support others and help build a positive environment. During this time, Florence learned how to use a computer, something she continued to make good use of for the rest of her life; including using her I-Pad to check emails and FaceBook up until the time she passed away. In 1986, Florence took on the project of her daughter’s wedding dress; which would be the last massive sewing project she was willing to do. From there on out, Florence preferred quilting and made beautiful gifts, often with Celtic inspiration, for her friends and family. Florence and Les loved to dance! They square danced in Lloydminster and later in Central Alberta for most of their married life. They were also quite involved in Scottish Country dancing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, after which they took up Old Time dancing; where they met a very special group of friends. In 1989, her husband, Les, passed away from cancer. Florence and Jim continued to work on beautifying the acreage through landscaping and gardening and often wished Les was still around to see the changes they had made. Florence celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, Andrew Martijn Knoot, in 1991 and her second grandchild, Annelise Danielle Knoot, in 1994. She was an enthusiastic grandma and was always willing to play along with her grandkids’ imaginations including pretending to fight off the monsters in the closet with great detail. As her grandkids grew up and moved around, she stayed in touch from a distance by going on walks or drives with Andrew and Annelise via the phone, a connection she always treasured. Florence retired in 1993 and enjoyed a number of years travelling the globe with ElderHostel. Her favourite trips included journeys to Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Florence also made multiple trips to England and Scotland. She really appreciated being able to see the gravestones of her father’s ancestors on Colonsay and her mother’s ancestors south of Inverness on these trips. Florence also continued to pursue learning by auditing courses at Red Deer College for several years. Throughout her life, Florence always embraced her Scottish Heritage, particularly by attending Burns’ Nights. She loved to listen to the bagpipes and was thrilled when her grandson learned to play the pipes, and brought that music to her own backyard. Florence spent the last years of her life on the acreage in Penhold; where she continued to enjoy reading and learning until the end. She never tired of watching documentaries and maintained an avid interest in current events. Florence will be sadly missed by her children, Sheila (John) Knoot and Jim Long and her grandchildren, Andrew (Darcie) Knoot and Annelise (Michael) Goodchild, and her many friends. The family wishes to express their thanks to the staff of Unit 22 and the Physiotherapy Department at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre for the care they gave Florence during her final days. A Celebration of Life is planned for the summer of 2022. If desired, Memorial Donations in Florence’s honor may be made directly to the Penhold Library at www.penholdlibrary.ca or to the Twilight Homes Foundation at www.canadahelps.org.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Florence MacDonald Long Tuesday August 17th 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Red-Deer, Province: Alberta