Joyce Ruth Long, 91, went to be with the Lord on Monday, October 10, 2016. She died at Southeastern Hospice House in Lumberton, surrounded by family. She was born in Buffalo, NY on September 22, 1925.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Thomas George Long, and her parents, Robert Frederick and Edith Lillian Beck.

Joyce came to call Lumberton home in 1967 when her husband came to town to open the Acme Electric Plant. She grew up in Buffalo, NY where she and her husband were backyard neighbors as children. They married just after the end of World War II and moved to Cuba, NY. They started their married life on a farm but Tom began his career with Acme Electric soon afterward.

Joyce served on the Board of Cuba Hospital, the first woman to have that distinction. She was very active in her church and community and became an early advocate for children with Type I Diabetes. Locally, she was a member of Chestnut Street United Methodist Church.

Joyce was a woman of many interests. She became an appraiser and a collector of antiques, enjoying the research required. She conducted many estate sales in New York and North Carolina, also doing appraisals for banks in Lumberton.

She loved to cook and entertain. She was also an avid gardener who specialized in the cultivation and hybridization of Daylilies. At one time, her yard contained more than 200 varieties. Their yard was a source of beauty and joy to her family and all of their neighbors!

She is survived by her daughter, Pamela Joyce Britt and husband Gordon of Proctorville; her son, Robert Thomas Long and wife Rosemary of Lumberton; granddaughter, Ruth Rivas and husband Ronnie and their children, John I. and Eleanor Ruth Rivas, all of Winnebow, NC; granddaughter, Beth Meloy and husband AJ and their son, Wyatt Thomas Meloy, all of Washington, DC; two sisters: Suzanne Johnson and husband Frederick and Mary Ellen Schwartz and husband John, all of West Seneca, NY; a sister-in-law Joan Haft and husband Paul of Buffalo, NY; a brother-in-law Bob Joslyn of Buffalo, NY; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at 2:00 PM at Chestnut Street United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Southeastern Hospice House of Lumberton, 1100 Pine Run Drive, Lumberton, NC 28358, or to Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, 200 E. 8th Street, Lumberton, NC 28359.

The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Southeastern Hospice House who richly cared for all of us during and after Hurricane Matthew.

Finally, we, the family, wish to express our great appreciation and love for her devoted caregivers. First of all, to Mildred McIver of Lumberton, a beloved friend to us all for many years, and her other caregivers include: Brenda Callahan, Melissa Branch, Michelle Rhodes, and Dawn Stone. These wonderful ladies were faithful and compassionate to the end. Our hearts will always remember.