Crawford W. Long

Crawford Williamson Long died peacefully in his home on November 5, 2012 surrounded by his loved ones.

Long was a dedicated servant to those he cared for, working in medicine from the early 1960’s until quite recently at Northside Hospital, here in Atlanta. He both delivered 7, 500 babies, as well as performing many life-saving marathon cancer surgeries. However, his spirit of giving and caring began in humble ways.

Born to Claude Burns Long and Louise Christina Smith in Gainesville, Florida on December 5, 1925, Dr. Long was a descendant of the family of Crawford W. Long MD, the man who discovered anesthesia.

Long’s family settled in Comer, Georgia in the late 1790’s having moved there from Paoli, PA after the American Revolution. The family has Scotch-Irish roots and immigrated from Donegal, Ireland around 1760.

At the age of four, Crawford and his family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he spent his youth. Even with all he accomplished later in life, Crawford’s proudest memory was becoming an Eagle Scout at age thirteen.

During WWII he was an assistant foreman at the Jacksonville Shipyard building liberty ships. At eighteen, he joined the US Air Corps where he became an aviation cadet and entered officer’s training. He served in the Korean War as an Air Force pilot and flew forty-eight combat missions. At the end of the war he attended Tulane University on the GI Bill. He graduated from Tulane’s School of Medicine with an MD’s degree and was the President of his Medical Society. His internship in OB/GYN was spent at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, LA. After this, he entered into private practice in Atlanta in 1961, joining the practice of Dr. John McCain.

Dr. Long was the head of the Sheffield Cancer Clinic, which at that time was the state hospital for cancer patients. There he performed exhaustive cancer operations, which often took more than nine hours. These were very complicated, but life-giving. He later shared his knowledge as a clinical instructor at Emory School of Medicine at Crawford Long Hospital, and was on staff at Georgia Baptist and most recently Northside Hospital.

Over the years, he delivered approximately 7, 500 babies. He loved his work and found each delivery and new little life a miracle. Each patient was the most important person in the world to him. He lived a life of service to others; his work has been his ministry. He recently retired from private practice with his son, Dr. George D. Long, at Northside Hospital who continues the proud tradition.

Long was a very inquisitive person, always interested in acquiring new knowledge. He was well versed in many walks of life and made friends wherever he went. Long loved poetry and could recite many pieces, including one of his favorites – Shakespeare’s Sonnet on Sex, Sonnet 129.

Dr. Long was preceded in death by his former wife, Annie Francis Dalton, a son, Crawford W. Long, II, brothers, Claude B. Long, Edgar Long, and Vincent Long. He is survived by his wife, Mimi C Long, children, Dr. George D. Long Debbie, Francis Christina Ashworth, stepchildren, Bryan Rose, and Chandelle Mark Spargo, grandchildren Crawford W. Long III, Clarke B Long, and step grandchildren Sienna Spargo, Giovanna Spargo and Carter C Rose and brother, Frederick C. Long.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Atlanta Mission www.atlantamission.org The Atlanta Mission is a ministry which shines the light of Christ’s healing power on any person in crisis through programs of rescue and recovery. Each day Atlanta Mission provides over nine-hundred and fifty men, women and children with meals, shelter, employment support, counseling and more.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday November 8, 2012 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Chapel at 2 PM.