Josephine Ardelia Harper Long

Josephine Ardelia Harper Long
(Dee)
FARMVILLE, VA - Josephine Ardelia (Dee) Harper Long (89) died on August 17, 2025 at The Woodland retirement home in Farmville, VA.
Dee was born June 18,1936 at the family home outside Whitakers, NC. She was the second of seven children of Joe John Harper, a farmer, and his wife, Christine Lyde Smith Harper. When she was in the fourth grade, Dee moved to Washington, DC, where she joined her older sister, Nancy, in living with their paternal aunt, Nanny Davis, who operated a tourist home near Union Station.
After graduating from Eastern High School in Washington, DC in 1951, Dee enrolled at East Carolina University (ECU) where she met her husband, Cecil Earl Long, in the university library. Following a six-month courtship, she and Cecil were married on October 28, 1956. Dee graduated with a B.S. degree in Home Economics in 1958 and later obtained a primary grade teaching certificate. After college, she and her husband lived in New Bern, where Dee worked as a secretary at Cherry Point Air Naval Station and Cecil worked as a parole officer. In March 1959, they welcomed their first child, Rita Ann, followed by twins Steven and Stuart, in August 1960.
The Longs moved their family to the farm near Whitakers where Dee was born while their children were in preschool, and later to the principal's house on the grounds of North Edgecombe School in Leggett where Cecil served as principal. In 1971, the family settled in Tarboro, where Dee taught fifth grade at Bridgers School and Stokes Elementary School while Cecil continued his career with Edgecombe County Schools. In 1977, after she began her teaching career, Dee returned to ECU to earn a master's degree in education, which qualified her as a reading specialist. Dee was named Edgecombe County's teacher of the year in 1980. She retired in 1984 and focused her time on church, family, and community activities.
Dee was active in the Tarboro-Edgecombe Garden Club, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Edgecombe-Nash Retired School Personnel, and served as president of United Methodist Women. She and Cecil were active members of St. James United Methodist Church in Tarboro. In 2016, she and Cecil moved to The Fountains at the Albemarle retirement home. Cecil passed away in 2020 and Dee relocated to a retirement home in Farmville, Virginia in November 2022 to be near her sister, Nancy.
Dee remained a passionate advocate for the importance of education throughout her life and was tireless in supporting her family's academic and professional achievements. Her dedication to family also led her to a keen interest in genealogy and historical research, and she found great satisfaction in tracing the histories of her family and her husband's family. She will be remembered for her unwavering pride in all her family's successes, large and small; for welcoming others openly throughout her life; her work ethic, and for her remarkable generosity of spirit and kindness.
Dee is preceded in death by her husband, Cecil; her daughter, Rita Ann Long Baker; and her sister, Doris Harper Hurst (Elwood). She is survived by her sons Steven Brent Long (Beth) and Stuart Bryan Long; her son-in-law, John Baker; her grandchildren, Rebecca Baker, Ben Baker, Alex Baker, Zachariah Long (Jessica), and Christine Long; her great-grandchildren, Mia Jayne Long and Benjamin Todd Long; her sisters, Nancy Harper Vick (Clinton), Christine Harper Montgomery, and Elizabeth Snow Harper Dell Jones; and her brothers Joe John Harper, Jr. (Melissa) and Frank Harper (Janet).
Funeral services were held on Saturday, August 23 at Carlisle Funeral Home in Tarboro. Donations can be made in Dee's memory to The Salvation Army or the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc for Edgecombe Garden Club.