Alice Eileen Potter Long

Bar Harbor
Alice Eileen (MacDonald) Potter Long died on February 1, 2025, following a short illness. She was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on October 26, 1934, the youngest daughter of Russell William and Edith (Evans) MacDonald. She served in the United States Navy in Illinois from 1952-1954 as a WAVE and hospital corpsman where she met her first husband William "Bill" Edward Potter.
The couple later moved to Bill's home state of Texas where their three children Kathie, Kent and Kevin were born while Bill studied at Texas Tech University. From there, in the 1960s they relocated to Detroit before moving to Pennsylvania in the 70s where Bill worked for Pennsylvania State Parks and where Alice studied at Penn State, earning a B.A. in Human Development. In 1978, following the losses of Bill's eyesight and his job for Pennsylvania State Parks, Bill and Alice moved to Bar Harbor, Maine where they spent the happiest years of their lives.
While Alice considered her 46 years on Mount Desert Island the best of her lifetime, many were far from easy. As her father frequently shared, "You'll be fine. You are a strong woman." Alice needed to be strong. During a three-week period in 1982, Alice grieved the separate deaths of her mother, her husband, and her father.
In 1983 Alice married Ralph "Bud" Hamilton Long, Jr. in Castine. Together, they shared many common experiences and interests: the loss of a beloved first spouse, working as educators at MDI High School, a love of nature, sunsets, wine and cheese, birding, hiking, camping, traveling, and a passion for genealogy and local history. After selling both of their houses in 1985, Alice and Bud built a home in Somesville where Alice lived until 1999 when she moved to Bar Harbor. Sadly, their special relationship was short- lived as Bud died of colon cancer in 1992.
Alice's beloved Aunt Mary MacDonald introduced her to genealogy when Alice was a young child. Alice continued her passion for genealogy into her final decades, providing many moments of joy. Her accomplishments included editing four genealogy books for the Maine Genealogical Society: Vital Records of Mount Desert Island and Nearby Islands, 1776 – 1820; Marriage Records of Washington County, Maine prior to 1892; Marriage
Records of Hancock County, Maine prior to 1892, and co-editing with Ruth Gray Volume II, Maine Families in 1790. Alice had several articles published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, the Seneca County, Ohio Genealogical Society Journal and the Maine Genealogical Society Quarterly. Along with both husbands, she researched their families and for a time assisted several local friends in searching for their roots.
Alice and her husband Bud were instrumental in researching the Samuel Hadlock murder and the Rodwell sisters' cases on MDI.
2017 was a pivotal year for Alice when via ancestry.com, she met a man claiming that her grandfather was his great grandfather. After DNA testing confirmed they were indeed cousins, Alice and her daughter Kathie traveled to England, Scotland and Wales to meet their newly found Welsh relatives. 2017 also was the year when Alice met a young family from Macedonia who had recently moved to MDI. When they were unable to find housing at the end of their off-season rental, Alice invited Dejana, Zoran and their then 3-month son Kristian to live with her in Bar Harbor where their bonds grew strong and collectively, they became what Dejana's mother called "familia."
Alice was a life-time member of the Maryland Genealogical Society, the Maine Genealogical Society, the Clan DNA Project and Downeast Humanists and Free Thinkers. In addition to her European travels, Alice enjoyed years of exploring and camping in the Canadian Maritime provinces and in Newfoundland along with frequent day and overnight camping trips to the Schoodic Peninsula.
Besides the deaths of her two husbands and parents, Alice was also predeceased by her sisters Marion, Marjorie and Eleanor and her niece Patti. Tragically, Alice mourned the untimely losses of all three children: Kevin William Potter (2010), Kathie Eileen Potter (2022) and Kent William Potter (2024).
Alice is survived by four grandchildren: Elizabeth Abigail Potter Melchionno, Harrison Potter, Gabriella Potter, Megan Gravenhorst and three great- grandchildren: Madilyn Elisabeth Hamp, Grayson William Gravenhorst and Chase Kevin Anderson.
Fiercely protective of her independence, Alice gratefully remained in her West Street Extension condo during her final homebound five years thanks to the love and support provided by Sara Somes, Nova Nichols, Elena Scotti, Ann Anda, Dejana, Zoran and Kristian Manev along with the invaluable assistance from Meals for ME, the Bar Harbor Police Department, Mount Desert Island Hospital and Hospice of Hancock County.
Per Alice's request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. An informal celebration of Alice's life will be held this spring following a private scattering of her ashes on MDI. Donations may be made in her memory to the Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor, Maine, to the music program at Mount Desert Island High School or to Friends of Acadia in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com