Clifford J. Long
Dr. Clifford James Long, 65, Glendive, Mont., passed away Tuesday, Nov. 27, at St Alexius Hospital in Bismarck. He was doing what he loved, cycling with the wind, when he suffered a tragically unexpected heart attack.
- Clifford James Long
Dr. Clifford James Long, 65, Glendive, Mont., passed away Tuesday, Nov. 27, at St Alexius Hospital in Bismarck. He was doing what he loved, cycling with the wind, when he suffered a tragically unexpected heart attack.
A celebration of Dr. Clifford Long’s life is 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Dawson County High School Auditorium in Glendive, with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating.
Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Clifford was born on July 9, 1947, in Billericay, England, the son of Raymond Cyril and Lucy (Gates) Long. He was raised and educated in England.
Following high school, he went to work for General Motors as a draftsmen and ultimately moved to America at the age of 21 to continue working in automotive design. Shortly after his move to America he was inspired to pursue a career in medicine.
He completed his bachelor’s degree with honors in two years at the University of Michigan then his medical degree at Wayne State University of Medicine in Detroit. Residency training in OB/GYN was completed in 1981 at Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals/Michigan State University in Saginaw, Mich.
He was very proud to become a U.S. citizen on July 4, 1976, the nation’s bicentennial.
Cliff then moved to Southern Pines, N.C., where he served the community from 1981-2003. Not only was he a staff OB/GYN at the Pinehurst Surgical Clinic ushering children into the world and helping scores of women, he was very active in numerous administrative positions during his time there.
He served as chairman of the OB/GYN Clinic, vice president of Moore Regional Medical Staff, president of Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, Chair of the patient care committee and ethics committee and Board of Directors of Sandhills Children’s Center just to name a few. His countless other affiliations were instrumental in establishing Moore Regional Hospital and Pinehurst Surgical Clinic.
He was also an active member of the American College of Surgeons, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Urogynecologic Society and American Fertility Society.
Clifford was instrumental in designing and bringing to life the first birthing room in a community hospital in the state of North Carolina.
It was Southern Pines that Clifford met Dr. Jeanne Stewart. They later married on Dec. 23, 2003.
After leaving North Carolina, Clifford joined Jeanne at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan, for a year and a half. During that time, he served as a Red Cross volunteer, mentor and instructor in the U.S. Air Force.
They subsequently moved to Glendive where they made their home and developed Women’s Health Care at Glendive Medical Center for eight years.
While living in Glendive, Cliff used his spare time focusing his energy on family and pursuing his interests. Cliff and Jeanne designed and built their own Japanese style home. When Cliff wasn’t traveling to visit family, he spent his time with Jeanne on their land overlooking the Yellowstone River.
They had recently taken on a new position at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dickinson, three months prior to his passing.
Cliff’s hobbies included cycling, art/design, poetry, building/construction and being in the outdoors. He was well respected for his wisdom and multitude of talents. He was greatly adored by every life he touched for his compassion, wit and sense of humor. He will be grievously missed by the family he leaves behind.
Survivors include his wife, Dr. Jeanne Stewart of Glendive; children, Jennifer Long Little (husband, Andy) of Davidson, N.C., Meghan Long Shearer (husband, Andrew) of Glendale, Calif., Jarrod Long of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Justin Way (wife, Laura) of Phoenix, Matthew Way of Miami, Evan Long of Billings, Mont., and Cori and Jake Holland of Glendive; grandchildren, Ethan and Drew Little and Tatum and Hazel Shearer; parents, Raymond and Lucy Long of Little Comberton, England; sister, Patricia Nunn of Lutterworth, England, and several nieces and nephews.
The family invites friends and family to share their stories about Clifford by emailing Sandy Silha at sanlan@live.com. These will be passed on to the family.
Also, anyone that would like to have attended the service but was unable, please visit our website at www.silver
nale-silhafuneralhome.com to read his eulogy.
Remembrances and condolences may be forwarded to the above website or mailed to the address below.
Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home
P.O. Box 848
Glendive, MT 59330
Tags: obituaries
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