Michele Long

On May 24, 2021, in the early morning hours, our beloved “Moppy” Michele Long, age 74, passed away peacefully. She was surrounded by family and went to her heavenly home. Everyone called her Moppy, so there were some people who didn’t even know her real name.

Originally from Victorville, Calif., she called Fountain Hills home for the past 13 years. She graduated from Victor Valley High School in 1964 and began work as a telephone operator for CONTEL where she retired after more than 35 years later as an infrastructure engineer.

She is survived by her loving husband of 42 years, Charles; her children, Jeff and wife, Kristan Solee and Tamie and husband, Michael Lawson, and her siblings, Kenny, Scott, Steve and Jan. She was blessed with four grandchildren, Erick, Sierra, Jonathan and Chase. She loved her grandchildren “to the moon and back”, as she told them frequently!!

Other family members include her brothers and sisters in law, Jon and Beverly Lawson, Lucille Denger, Michelle Benedict and Carol Benedict; and lots of nieces, nephews and cousins as well. She also considered Pastor Rick (“PR” as she called him) and Cheryl Ponzo of Calvary Chapel Fountain Hills her adopted family and loved all the members of her church for many years.

Moppy will be remembered for her caring, selfless, generous (and often) feisty spirit, her passion for the care of all animals and, most of all, the love for her family. No dog was a stranger to her at the Fountain; she knew all of their names, just not their owners. Everyone will treasure the memory of her saying “Hi, honey” when she greeted them. She cared more about others than herself and was always around to help anyone in need. She was not a fan of any kind of recognition, but she faithfully served our community as part of the Fountain Hills Crisis Response Team and the Fountain Hills Give a Lift program. Moppy was also “Volunteer of the Year” for the Town of Fountain Hills in 2012.

She will be missed by so many as we sorrowfully say goodbye, but we will treasure the memories she left us with.

A Celebration of Life memorial will be held on Sunday, June 6 at 4 p.m. at Calvary Chapel Fountain Hills. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society to benefit breast cancer research.