Mitchell “Philip” Longley, 82, of Derry, NH died Friday, June 4, 2010 in The Greenbriar Terrace Healthcare Center, Nashua, NH. Mr. Longley was born in Caribou, ME on March 13, 1928, son of the late Mitchell P. and Alberta (Corey) Longley. He was a resident of Derry for a year, formerly living in Exeter, NH and Hampton, NH. Mr. Longley grew up in Northern Maine, in Caribou and Mapleton. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea and upon his discharge married Freedith A. Smith in March of 1953 and settled in NH. Mr. Longley worked for Ralston Tree Service in Portsmouth and Exeter for 17 years. He then worked as a rigger at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard working on submarines until his retirement in 1993. He was a member of the American Legion in Hampton and the VFW in Exeter. Mr. Longley was a longtime member of 1st Baptist Church in Hampton where he was a deacon as well as doing the janitorial work at the church. He was a “jack of all trades” who enjoyed being busy all the time. He also enjoyed snowmobiling, volunteering his time and services assisting the elderly and he loved spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Freedith A. (Smith) Longley of Derry, three daughters, Juanita Rives of Derry, Gloria McPherson and her husband John of Yuma, AZ, Susan Chamberlain of Nevada, six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, a brother, William Longley of Connecticut, three sisters, Helen Woznikaitis and Mae Ricci, both of Connecticut, Shirley Howlett of Maine and also by many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by a grandson, Shawn Chamberlain, two sisters, Irene Kleckner and Maxine Dilger and by two brothers, Fred and Kenneth Longley.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM in the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry. Visiting will be held on Saturday from 10:00am until the time of services in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018.