Girta Mae Longmire

Girta Mae, was the eleventh of 18 children born to Nelson and Vanda Walker on March 31, 1921 in Tylertown, Mississippi. Girta was always a helpful child and from a very early age found herself assisting her mother with the household chores and her part to make her family run. That was where she learned to cook, clean and especially liked styling her and her sisters' hair. She also developed her love of baking cakes. She matriculated through high school and prepared to leave Mississippi and head to Chicago with two of her sisters shortly after graduation.
As fate would have it, she met the man she would spend the rest of her life with in a train station in the early 1940s, was where she met the man she would spend the remainder of her days with, Scott Longmire. That fateful encounter led to a brief engagement and a marriage that would span 60 years and produce three beautiful daughters, Mary, Saundra and Elinda.
Girta often had to do the heavy lifting of raising her daughters alone due to Scott's injuries and illnesses. She worked as a server at several restaurants and then went on to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors by attending and cosmetology school. As her children grew up she continued to work hard to provide a comfortable life for her family. Her youngest and faithful daughter Elinda, who cared for her until her final moments, was the first to make her a grandmother, giving birth to Eric Longmire. Shortly there after, Mary had James Jr (lovingly called J.J) and Saundra eventually had Ronda and Casaundra. Elinda would then give birth to Scott and Marquita. Girta doted on her grandchildren and lavished them with love. Her home was always warm and inviting and no one was ever a stranger, and harkening back to her childhood, no one ever left her home hungry.
Always inquisitive and eager to learn, Girta went on to get her real estate license and was sold her daughter's and their friends the homes they would go on to raise their families in. Girta was honest, gorgeous, tenacious, and equipped with a razor sharp sense of humor. Her dedication, warmth, and loving kindness will remain with the family and friends she lives to cherish her incredible memory.
Her husband Scott, daughters Mary, Saundra, son-in-law Ronald, and grandson J.J all graduated to the larger life before her. She has left her ever faithful daughter Elinda, grandchildren Eric, Ronda (Burnell), Casaundra, Scott and Marquita, great-grandchildren Brandon, Jade, Chanel, Delilah, Ian, Sloane and Ardon as well as nieces Dorothy Jean and Barbara and other nieces and nephews, family and friends, with a treasure trove of memories, laughs and love.
To have known Girta was to love and respect her, to be in awe of her beauty, wit, and intellect. To have been showered with her love, is one of the greatest gifts those who knew her will ever receive.
Visitation Thursday, July 10, 2025 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Taylor Chapel of Voran Funeral Home, 23750 Goddard Road. (313) 291-1800. Memorial services Thursday at 6:30 p.m. from the funeral home. Please share memories and/or leave condolences on Girta's guestbook on her tribute wall.