Anthony Alfred Long (Tony), of Highlands, NC born on May 30, 1939 in Tetbury, Gloucester, England passed away on July 18, 2024.

He died of natural causes with his family at his side at the Four-Season hospice Elizabeth House in Flat Rock, NC.

Tony led life with a sense of adventure, appreciation of nature and love of family. WWII came along and his parents were engulfed in the war effort. Tony and siblings were orphaned as young children. At 7, Tony was chosen by the British government's child migrant program to be relocated by ship to the British colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), southern Africa, along with 80 other orphaned children.

The 'Fairbridge Memorial College,' a small encampment of rusty Royal Air Force training huts, near Bulawayo Rhodesia, Africa was his home until he was 16. A local rancher took Tony into his family for his first working job on their farm. There he learned the Shona language and developed a love for African culture. Weekends were filled with horseracing where he had the good fortune to meet the Queen Mother during one of his races as a jockey.

He then moved onto the great African railroads as a steam locomotive fireman, between Cape Town South Africa and points beyond. Followed by a job in the new Nestle factory in Harare.

Then at 20, Tony left Rhodesia and embarked on a yearlong hitchhiking trek to find his family in England. Along the way, he performed as a motorcycle rider on the Wall of Death at a circus in Botswana and contributed his skills to a Kibbutz in Israel.

After finding his father in England, he continued his travels to pursue work in Scotland and then on to Canada to work again for the Nestlé corp. Not enjoying the Canadian winter, he soon embarked as a first mate on a sailboat traveling from Canada to the Bahamas. This launched a sailing career that gave him opportunities and joy that only the sea could bring.

The winds of the Bahamas and connections through sailing the S/V Pinocchio led him to his next adventure. In 1966 the Pulitzer family of Palm Beach, FL whom Tony had met during chartering, gave Tony a fruit truck to get a transportation business started. In addition to transporting citrus, he delivered the first Lilly Pulitzer fashion line up and down the east coast, ultimately growing this into a successful moving and storage business in West Palm Beach, FL.

Tony met his wife Ursula in Palm Beach, FL. By 1969 they were married in her hometown of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. After marriage, Tony and Ursula began to grow their family and business, Long Transfer Inc., together.

In 1982 the Long family landed in Highlands, NC by way of Cody, Wyoming. True to form, a family vacation took an adventurous detour that landed Tony, Ursula and their Children in Highlands, NC where they fell in love with the small Appalachian town of Highlands. They moved their business from Florida and started the first certified moving company in town. Tony loved working hard with his sons Colin and Marlow, while serving the Highlands residents with moves all over the country. Colin Long carries on Tony's legacy in the Highlands community with Long Moving & Storage, LLC.

After retiring from the family business in Highlands, Tony and Ursula enjoyed traveling to India, China, South America and Costa Rica. Tony also enjoyed going back to England, Scotland and Africa to reconnect with lost brothers and sisters. He stayed in touch with his Fairbridge family throughout Africa.

Tony loved his family, adventure, sailing and roaming the African Bush. He enjoyed dancing, talking with strangers and telling his many life stories. He disliked trivial chatter, inequality and standing still.

Tony is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ursula Scherrer Long of Highlands, NC and three children, Colin Conrad Long (Caroline Long) of Scaly Mountain, NC; Gisele Antoinette Long (Luis Reveles) of Carrboro, NC; and Marlow Long (Tanya Shuman) of Hood River, OR. Surviving grandchildren include Beatrice Lillian Long, Oscar Scherrer Long, Diego Matias Reveles, Mira Cruz Reveles, Pele Antonio Reveles and Oliver Kai Long.

Tony is preceded in death by his parents Henry Alfred Long and Flossie Gertude Long of Eastington, Gloucester, England.
He is survived by his brothers and sisters Henry Long of England; Purification Long of England; Lorraine Matheson (Dr. Iain Matheson) of Plockton, Scotland and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please honor Tony's adventurous life by traveling somewhere new and talking to a stranger or by sending a donation to the following: Four Seasons Foundation @ fourseasonsfdn.org, Highlands Land Trust at www.hcltnc.org