Charles F. “Charlie” Long of Plymouth, formerly of Whitman, passed on Saturday, October 26 after a brief illness.
Born in Boston in 1942, he was the first of four sons of John D. Long III and Ann O’Gara (Ryan) formally of Weymouth. He grew up in Dorchester and was proud of his work at The Boston Flower Market during his teenage years. During his high school years at Boston Trade School, where he majored in Printing, he started working at Grass Instruments in Braintree and remained there for over 50 years, retiring as a manager.
He volunteered with youth sports, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts where he was a Den Leader. He regularly attended his children and grandchildren’s activities, always with a video camera in hand, and even ran the first concession stand at South Shore Vo-Tech High School from his RV camper. Charlie, as he was known, was a jack of all trades and was the first person you called for anything.
His loves were woodworking, camping, and videography with his children and grandchildren. Upon retirement he traveled the world with his loving wife, but his favorite spot was in Jamaica, where he took just about everyone. Charlie could be found on his ride-on lawnmower, in his woodworking shop, or sitting in his computer room making videos or his oldies music CDs. He had a love for entertaining and hosting parties like his infamous Christmas Eve parties back in the day to more recently with his 3 rd of July bashes.
In addition to his parents, he is pre-deceased by his granddaughter Jaime-Lee Occhipinti of Brockton. He is survived by his loving and supportive wife of over 46 years, Noreen Long (MacDonald), and their children Charles Long Jr. and his wife Kelley of Whitman, and their sons Joshua of Carver and Jacob and his fiancé, Mary Brook Brown of St. Charles, MO; Bernice Occhipinti and her husband Steve of Jacksonville, NC, formally of Brockton, and her son Marc; John Long and his fiancé Leanne Mcguinness of Plymouth and their children Nick, Alanna, and Isabella; and Holly Long of Whitman and her sons Thomas and Jason; his brothers Thomas and wife Joanne of Needham, Dennis and his partner Sandy Folsom of West Roxbury, Kevin and wife Denise of Abington and two great granddaughters Starlee and Cecilia- Rose.
Family and friends are invited to his visiting hours on November 1st from 4-8 p.m. at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, Plymouth St. (Rt 58) at the Whitman Rotary. All are welcome to the funeral home November 2nd at 9:45 a.m. to join in procession to the Holy Ghost Church, for a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m., 518 Washington Street Whitman.