Jane Gabrielle Longman

My mother was born in Nottingham, England during the depression.  Her childhood was very different than anything I can imagine.  Her father was a wounded WWI veteran, who had difficulties supporting his family.  This left a lifelong impression on my mother.  After the outbreak of WWII in 1939 with her older sister, she was evacuated to live on a farm for several months until the bombing of England ended.  Her most vivid memory I heard about is how much she missed her mother.  She also told me how the children would count the American B-17 bombers leaving England in the morning and count the ones that returned each evening.  The Berlin Airlift in 1948 had the most important impact on her life.  She met Ted Longman, an American airman during this time.  After a whirlwind courtship, they decided to get married.  On December 24, 1948, she sailed to America.  Ted picked her up in New York after a difficult winter crossing of the North Atlantic and they traveled together to Tampa, FL where Ted was stationed.  They waited until Jane turned 18 on February 15, 1949 to marry.  At this time you had to be 21 in Florida to get married without your parent’s permission, they ended up going to Folkston, GA and were married on February 16, 1948 at the courthouse by a local judge.  Later they were married again by a Catholic priest at St. Joseph Church in Tampa.  Her main focus for her life was her family, Ted, Barry, Richard, Debbie and Tom.  She was a Red Cross volunteer for 25 years at hospitals and worked processing people evacuated from Managua, Nicaragua in the 1970’s following a major earthquake.  She moved to Brooksville in 1978 and began working at Eastside Elementary School as a teacher’s aide.  She loved working with the young children.  She taught the children subtraction the same way she had learned by borrowing and paying back.  None of the teachers had learned this method and found she was very successful teaching the children this way.  She retired after many years at Eastside.  She spent her retirement keeping up with her children’s families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She also volunteered at St. Anthony the Abbot Church helping with weekly Bingo and at Daystar.  Declining health led to her having to give up her volunteer activities.  Jane and Ted celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on February 16, 2018. With Ted’s passing on July 14, 2018 she rapidly declined until she passed away peacefully on August 13, 2018.  We will all miss her greatly.  She is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Gregory and Sister Mary Josephine both still residing in England; children, Barry Longman of Flagler Beach, FL and Richard & Susan Longman of Brooksville, FL, Debra Longman of Tallahassee, FL and Tom & Jan Longman of Arlington, VA; nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00pm, Saturday, August 25, 2018 at Merritt Funeral Home, Brooksville Chapel, with Reverend Michael Kouts officiating.  A Celebration of Life Reception will follow at the residence of Richard and Susan Longman.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the American Red Cross.

ARRANGEMENT BY

MERRITT FUNERAL HOME

BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA

(352) 796-6699

“Family Owned & Operated”

www.merrittfuneral.com