John Cooper Long Jr.

John Cooper Long, Jr., son of the late John and Jane Long of Manchester, Connecticut, passed away surrounded by a lifetime of memories and love. He was predeceased by his sister, Terry Long, and is survived by his sister, Nancy Dolce of Springfield, Virginia.
John and his beloved wife, Mary (Malloy) Long, recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary. Mary was the love of his life, and through life's joys and challenges, they discovered-again and again-that they were perfectly matched. Together they raised three daughters: Susan Long Patrick (Mark) of Washington, D.C.; Maureen Long of New London, Connecticut; and Maggie Long Scroope (Henry) of Granger, Indiana. He was a proud grandfather to Mallory Patrick; Morgan, Sean, and Henry Scroope V (who predeceased him).
Known to his family as "Boe," John moved to Manchester at the age of four and remained deeply connected to the town for the rest of his life. Two years ago, John and Mary relocated to Leisure World in Silver Spring, Maryland.
An honorary member of the Manchester High School Class of 1962, John spent six years at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut, graduating in 1964, and one year at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. He went on to graduate from The Catholic University of America in 1967, where he met fellow English major and his future wife, Mary Malloy. Mary's family includes her sister, Joanne Rorapaugh of Washington, D.C., and her brother, Rev. Edward "Monk" Malloy, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame.
After three years teaching English and religion at East Catholic High School in Manchester, and one year working at Salem Nassiff's photography store, John began what would become a 35-year career as a photojournalist at The Hartford Courant, the oldest newspaper in continuous publication in the United States. He became a familiar presence at major events throughout Connecticut-covering political conventions, hurricanes, the Hartford Whalers, and especially the Greater Hartford Open golf tournament. He also covered the Masters Tournament five times.
John had a special love for classical ballet and, in retirement, published a book of dance photography featuring the Hartford Ballet and the University of Hartford's Hartt School Dance Program, called Romance of the Dance. John self-published two books, the other one celebrating his favorite food-hot dogs.
For decades he covered the Thanksgiving Day Manchester Road Race for the Courant and later served as the event's official photographer. Although he briefly served as an assistant photo editor, John's passion was always making photographs. He returned to the field, proudly considering himself a journeyman photojournalist.
Among his many honors, John was named Connecticut Photographer of the Year twice and was inducted into both the Connecticut Journalism Hall of Fame and the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame. He received the NPPA Sprague Award-the highest honor of the National Press Photographers Association-where he also served as president in 1990 and 1991. For the next 25 years, he remained active as the organization's Ethics Chairman, speaking internationally and writing extensively on ethics in photojournalism.
He taught journalism for many years as an adjunct professor at Manchester Community College and later taught ethics for two semesters at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
John and Mary traveled extensively, first through his work with the NPPA and later through Mary's brother's role at Notre Dame. Ireland and Italy were favorites, but their most meaningful trip was to Israel, rich with historical and religious significance. Together, they visited more than 45 U.S. states.
A passionate fan of the Fighting Irish, John made Saturdays in the fall sacred for Notre Dame football. After a lifetime of remarkable memories, his one regret was that despite playing golf for 60 years, he never made a hole-in-one.
A visitation will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026, from 10:00am to 11:30am at John Tierney Funeral Home in Manchester, CT.
Funeral service will be at St. Bridget's Parish, Manchester, CT at 12 noon on Monday, January 5, 2026. Lunch will follow at the Manchester Country Club.
In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John, please visit our floral store.