Opal Graves Long, 96, former resident of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Salina, passed away Thursday, July 12, 2018, at Brighton Gardens in Prairie Village, Kan. Opal was the daughter of Henry and Prudie (Webb) Graves of Lincoln, Kan. She married Harrison Kenneth Long, Sr. in 1941, in Salina. They were married 14 years before his early death in 1955.

Opal was very proud of the five successful children she raised as a single mother. In addition to her non-stop work at home, she was employed in Salina as a school secretary, secretary of First United Methodist Church, and executive secretary of the Regional Office of Waddell and Reed, Inc. She continued to work in the finance industry after her move to Colorado Springs in 1976. She was a member of Salina First United Methodist Church for over 75 years, a 60-year member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood (Chapters BX, Salina and EA, Colorado Springs) and the Red Hat Society of Colorado Springs. Opal was a lifelong musician and vocal soloist. She was a gifted archivist and avid consumer of the news. She loved gardening, holiday decorating, needle work, the mountains, late-night television, and her pets.

Opal is survived by: her children, Harrison Kenneth Long, Jr. (Christie) of Irvine, Calif.; John Randal Long (Carol) of Evanston, Ill.; Rev. Judy Long O’Neal and Jan Marie Long, both of Kansas City, Mo.; grandchildren, Lisa Long Keady (John), David Laurence Long (Gitte), Holly Long Lieber (Jeffrey), Brook Randal Long (Katie), Jeff O’Neal (Michelle), Wes O’Neal (Meredith), Kyle O’Neal, Lidia Long Dasta, Nishta Long Dasta, Maya Long Dasta, Kim Ferrer (Fernando), Rebecca Huston (Brady) and Liz Levy (Michael); 17 great-grandchildren; family friend, Dr. Jean Ayres; loving neighbors, Clyde and Helen Mock; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

She is preceded in death by: her parents; her husband; her son, Laurence Graves Long; two brothers; and five sisters.

Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, at the First United Methodist Church, Salina, with burial to follow at Roselawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be the hour prior to the service at the church.

Memorials may be made to: the Salina First United Methodist Church, Meals on Wheels, or Look What The Cat Brought In Animal Shelter of Colorado Springs, Colo., in care of Ryan Mortuary, Salina.