Tamara Helois McDaniel

Tamara H. Long-McDaniel was born on December 7, 1941, to the late William Long Jr. and Lois T. Allen-Marshall in Los Ángeles, California. However, she grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she graduated from Garfield High School, Class of 1960. She began her educational pursuits at the University of Washington. In 1964, she met and married a young Air Force Military Police Officer, Robert McDaniel, Jr. of Aiken, South Carolina. After serving overseas in the Philippines and Vietnam, the young couple moved to Niagara Falls, New York, where Tamara attended Millard Fillmore School of Nursing. Shortly thereafter, she gave birth to her only child, Tiffany.

A few years later, the family relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, where Tamara landed a job at Norfolk General as an Intensive Care/Cardiac Care Unit Head Nurse. She eventually travelled between Hampton Roads hospitals, displaying leadership, excellence, poise, and grace in all she did.

In the late 1980s and early 90s, she attended St. Leo College and Norfolk State University. During this time, she shifted her focus to Psychiatric Emergency Room services and eventually transitioned into talk therapy at Churchland Psychiatric Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. After her beloved husband passed away in 2007, she continued working and serving in the community at Ebenezer Baptist Church of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and as a member of the Red Hat Society.

In 2014, Tamara was diagnosed with Stage Two Triple Negative Breast cancer, which she beat with the help of God, her family, and friends. She retired and enjoyed spending the remainder of her days living joyfully with her daughter and only grandchild, Robert McDaniel III.

She passed away peacefully on July 23, 2025, at home. Tamara is survived by her daughter Tiffany H. McDaniel, her grandson, Robert McDaniel III, sister Rozetta Marshall, brother James Marshall, Jr., sister in laws Joyce Bradley, Betty (James) Gallman, Sandra Chavous, her "other" daughter, special loved one Monica Robinson, and best friend Linda Richardson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert McDaniel, Jr., father, mother, mother-in-law, and father-in-law, Robert McDaniel, Sr. and Ada McDaniel, stepfather James Marshall, Sr., and sister Marla Grayson James.

She will be missed and cherished by a host of family, colleagues, classmates, mentees, coworkers, and friends from every stage in her life.

Long live the incredible memory of the Queen Mother Tamara McDaniel!