Beatrice "Bea" McKown Long

MALTA-Beatrice "Bea" McKown Long, 97, a retired teacher, went to be with her lord on August 27, 2014 at a hospice in Billings.

Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M., Saturday, September 6 at the Kirkwood Memorial Chapel in Malta. Interment will be in the Malta Cemetery. Condolences for the family may be left at http://www.kirkwoodfuneralhome.com.

Bea was born October 9, 1916 in Gildford, Montana, the daughter of Thomas E. and Rosa Mae (Pound) McKown. Raised in the Gildford area she attended rural schools and graduated from Gildford High School. She attended Northern Montana College in Havre and received her teaching certificate.

Her first teaching job was in the Malta. She married Wayne Long in 1936 in Glasgow. Bea stayed at home to raise her family. She returned to teaching after being recruited to help at a rural school and her youngest daughter could go with her. Bea took summer classes at Northern and received her Bachelor's Degree in 1970. She last taught in Dodson for 15 years and then substituted in Malta for about four years before retiring completely.

Bea was preceded in death by her husband Wayne Long in 1993, and daughter, Darlene Olmstead.

Survivors include her daughters, Myrna (Rodney) Kroon of Malta, Beth (Bill) Goertz of Billings; sons, Rick (Cindy) Long of Anadale, Minnesota, and Delbert (Mary Lois) Long of Great Falls; 10 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.