Freda C. (Blakey) Long

Freda C. (Blakey) Long, 92, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Born on December 16, 1933, in Cedar Rapids, she was the daughter of Lottie (Parkey) and John Amity Blakey, Sr. A graduate of McKinley High School, Freda was denied admission to the Cedar Rapids Paris Academy because of her race. Determined to pursue her goals, she worked at Armstrong’s Department Store to save for tuition and attended Crescent Beauty School in Des Moines. She later worked at Thelma Price’s 8th Avenue Beauty Shop before opening her own business, Freda’s Beauty Rama and Gift Shop, in Cedar Rapids.

On May 22, 1965, Freda married Robert “Bob” H. Long in Preston, Minnesota. She was a longtime member of Bethel AME Church and the African American Museum of Iowa, and she served on the scholarship committee for the Criterion Women’s Club. She found joy in ceramics, crafts, flower decorating, and organizing fashion shows to raise funds for community scholarships. Above all, she was a devoted mother and grandmother whose warmth and strength touched everyone around her.

Freda is survived by her children, Edwin Montgomery, Carole Long, and Theresa Long, all of Cedar Rapids; her grandchildren, Anthony (Brittany) Montgomery and Octavia Cox; her great-grandchildren, Achilleus Montgomery and Artemis Montgomery; her brother, Ronnie Blakey; her beloved “Bugga Bear,” Bubbles; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Amity and Lottie Blakey; her husband, Bob Long; and eight of her siblings.