Rebecca "Knox" May Long

Rebecca May Long, or "Mimi" as she was lovingly named by her family, passed away on Sunday, April 10, 2022 at the age of 93. The fifth of seven children, Rebecca was born on May 4, 1928 in Culdaff, Northern Ireland to Robert and Rebecca Knox. At the age of 20, Rebecca moved to England to find work after the war. She ended up at Lockheed Factory where she worked while residing in the group home owned by Lockheed. It was on holiday, home to Culdaff, that she met her husband of over 70 years, James, who preceded her in death. During Rebecca's time at Lockheed, she forged lifelong friendships with Ellen and Elizabeth Powell whom she would later immigrate to Ontario, Canada with before settling in Detroit, Michigan.

After settling in Michigan, Rebecca worked her way through the ranks eventually retiring as the Dining Room Manager for the Orchard Lake Country Club. Although she was officially "retired", she never truly stopped working. She would always say "the trick to living a long life is to never stop moving". Well into her 60's, she even ran her own home cleaning business where she insisted on using recycled rags and good old fashioned elbow grease. She also served as a deaconess for over 20 years at the Union Lake Baptist Church. Whether she was assisting with the set up for a church function, doing yard work, or volunteering to assist in any number of church events; she could never sit idly by and let others do the work alone. Even in her final days when she was being transported from the hospital, she tried to insist on walking to the ambulance. "Don't make a big fuss over me dear", she would say.

One of the few things Rebecca did just for herself was gardening and from spring time to the fall, you could find her in the garden tending to her flowers with as much care as she displayed when she tended to those in her life. Rebecca was as stubborn as she was selfless, which meant she always wanted others to be taken care of, and would resist any attempt made to take care of her. She lived just as she loved with the thoughtfulness, generosity, and faith of the God she knew.

Rebecca would tell you that she was fortunate enough to spend her final years with her granddaughters who helped her each day. However, her granddaughters would argue that she was the one who truly helped them. Rebecca brought a light and joy to everyone's lives, leaving a lasting impact on anyone who had the pleasure of meeting her.

She is survived by her loving daughter and son-in-law Kimberley and Tony DiDonato; her grandchildren Jess and wife Michaela, Kristina, Tony Jr. and wife Alana, Daniel, and eleven great-grandchildren.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Union Lake Chapel of the Elton Black and Son Funeral Home, 1233 Union Lake Road, White Lake, Michigan. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm and on Thursday from 10:00 am until the time of service. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Union Lake Baptist Church.