DEATH / LODGE NOTICES
LONG, Dianna
Dianna Alice Wynn Long of Baltimore, Maryland died on November 16, 2022, from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Dianna is preceded in death by her husband, Lauriston Hardin Long and survived by her two children Ashley Capehart Long, Baltimore, MD and Lauriston (Lars) Hagen Long, Mariefred, Sweden, his wife, Catarina Gustavsson Long, and her four grandchildren, Emma Long Cotter, Vincent Long, Selma Long and Tilde Gustavsson.
The only daughter of Philip Ashley Wynn and Charlotte Bailey Wynn, Dianna was born on October 15th, 1940, in Sevierville, Tennessee where she grew up. She married Lauriston Hardin Long of Old Hickory, Tennessee on April 29, 1967. Dianna spent most of her adult life in Montgomery County, Maryland, beginning in 1974. Dianna attended The University of Tennessee where she earned her undergraduate degree in history, but freely admitted her real major was her social life, and she spent most of her time enjoying events with her Chi Omega sorority sisters.
For as long as she could remember, the “little girl from the hills of East Tennessee” dreamed of discovering and experiencing the larger world and was bound and determined to make her dream a reality. Her first experience on this path was attending Virginia Intermont College during high school with her cousin and lifelong partner-in-crime. After graduating from college, Dianna moved to New York City and became a Pan American flight attendant with another close cousin and traveled the world, enjoying a vast array of cultures and experiences.
It was her time with Pan Am that set the stage for the “entertainer extraordinaire” that she would become - honing her culinary skills and devotion to her mantra for all aspects of life, “there is only one way to do things, the right way”! Dianna was always so proud of her time as a Pan Am stewardess and relished telling stories even recently when prompted by wearing her Pan Am facemask. As thrilling as her cosmopolitan experiences were, it was her friendships that were created in Pan Am that were the most meaningful.
In late 1966, she met Lauriston (Larry) and they were married just six months after meeting. They traveled the world together, exploring cultures, cuisines, art, and history. After the birth of their first child, Ashley in March 1970, Dianna hung up her wings and devoted herself to being a stay-at-home mother in Nashville, Tennessee. Prompted by her husband’s career advancement, the family moved to Wimbledon, England in 1972 and Washington, DC in 1974. In May 1975, their son, Lauriston (Lars) was born, and the family moved to Montgomery Village, Maryland where the children were raised and where she and her husband remained until 2007.
Dianna was heavily involved in local and statewide democratic politics as well as community service. She impressed upon her children and grandchildren the value of hard work, civic involvement, and giving back to one’s community. In 1989, Dianna began working at the Montgomery County Board of Elections and eventually managed all equipment logistics of state and federal elections in the county. She was committed to excellence in her professional pursuits but also found time to make life-long friendships along the way. Dianna was also devoted to service and involvement closer to home which included multiple stints as President of the PTA and, much to her daughter’s horror, as a volunteer in the attendance office of her daughter’s high school. As a mother, Dianna had high expectations of her children (report cards hung on the fridge each quarter), established strict rules, expected well-mannered behavior at all times, and was not reluctant to threaten to “snatch you baldheaded” for transgressions. In later years she would admit, with a sense of pride, that her kids “didn’t turn out half-bad”! In truth, she was full of love and extremely proud of both Lars and Ashley, not only for their personal and professional accomplishment, but for the wonderful grandchildren they gave her.
Known as Granny on US soil and Ding Ding in Sweden, Dianna enjoyed every minute with her four grandchildren, Emma (21), Tilde (20), Vincent (11), and Selma (6). Having moved to Baltimore, MD in 2007 to be close to Ashley and Emma, Granny was a central figure in Emma’s upbringing, spending nearly every afternoon with her from second grade through middle school, helping with homework, cooking-up southern delicacies, and telling Emma tales of her childhood in Sevierville. Ding Ding’s time with her Swedish grandchildren was fewer in hours but equal in love and memorymaking.
While there is a limitless list of Dianna-related special qualities and memories, here are but a few: her never-yielding promotion of Chi O and being the “rec letter Queen”, her love of history, especially of East Tennessee and Swedish Viking culture, frequent use of phrases like “over yonder” (when giving directions) and “you look like you got drug threw a hedge backwards” (when she thought you needed to tidy-up), her intricately designed and delicious Christmas cookies (which were forbidden to be eaten by family prior to the holiday), being a die-hard fan of the Washington Capitals, constantly mispronouncing words (Larry maintained a running list), her insistence that thank you notes not contain the words “thank you”, her ability to make every holiday simply magical for her children (except when she gifted Lars piano lessons one Christmas), and her absolute obsession over her Skylight digital picture frame that constantly reminded her of decades of friends, family, accomplishments, special events, pets, travel, love, family vacations, and her grandchildren.
As Alzheimer’s set in, select memories were repeated over and over but she would always pause in reflection and say how amazing her life had been. A constant refrain was how fortunate she was having been “a little girl from the hills of East Tennessee” to have had the life, experiences, husband, children, grandchildren and friends she had. She was grateful beyond measure. If there was one regret that Dianna had, it was that her mother died at the age of 64 before being able to see her grandchildren grow up or meet her great-grandchildren. Dianna knew how very proud her mother would have been.
Consistent with Dianna’s request, her remains will be buried in Sevierville, Tennessee alongside her husband’s at a graveside service in mid-2023.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Foundation in her memory. baltimoresun.com/obituaries