Zella Virginia Long

Zella Virginia Long, 70, of Baker City and formerly of La Grande died August 11, 2006 at her home. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the LDS Church, 2625 Hughes Lane, Baker City. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Mrs. Long was born April 15, 1936, to Percy Lavon and Zella Hemmert Wood in Baker City. She graduated from Baker City High School, Brigham Young University and Eastern Oregon State College.
On June 8, 1968 she married Keith Randall Long, of the Oregon Highway Patrol. She taught at South Baker Elementary school for the last 24 years of her career. Many of her students remember reading in her old-fashioned bathtub filled with pillows. She remembered each of her first-grad students at the time of their high school graduation by sending them their first-grade class picture, a writing assignment she had saved and a $5 bill. She was named Oregon Teacher of the Year and received many other honors.

She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as Relief Society president and primary teacher. She was devoted to her family.

Survivors include her husband of Baker City; children and their spouses, Mark and Karen Long of Salt Lake City and Malinda and Kendale Gates; six grandchildren; siblings and their spouses, Paul and Cheren Wood of Salt Lake City, Ruth Boyd of Baker City and Helen and Larry Berg of La Grand and other relatives. Two brothers, Loren and Wayne Wood and a sister, MaryLu Wood, all died earlier.

Memorials may be made to any charity.