Rebecca Ann Mauk De Long
March 31, 1931 – Dec. 22, 2021
Rebecca Ann Mauk De Long, 90, Carmel, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Dec. 22, 2021.
She was born March 31, 1931 in Grand Rapids, Mich. she was the fifth child of Beatrice (Dick) Mauk and Ralph A. Mauk Sr.
While attending Grand Rapids Junior College, she met and married Robert J. De Long, with whom she had three daughters. The family moved to Carmel, Ind. in 1964. Rebecca returned to college, earning her BA in Psychology from Indiana University (IUPUI) at age 40. Twenty-five years later she graduated with her Juris Doctor (JD) degree from IU School of Law (Indianapolis), with an emphasis on constitutional law.
During her undergraduate years, Mrs. De Long volunteered at a psychiatric hospital, tutored first grade students in math and reading, assisted in the annual Caulk of the Town event and weatherizing homes for low-income families. In the mid-1970s, Mrs. De Long served as Activity/Social Services Director for a long-term health care facility. She became one of the first people in the state to be certified in Reality Orientation, a program designed to improve cognitive and psychomotor function in people who are confused or disoriented.
In 1979, Mrs. De Long went to work for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Indiana, where she served on a team conducting Medicaid compliance audits of nursing homes throughout the state. In 1988 she was promoted to Healthwatch Liaison for all aspects of a federally mandated well-child program.
Mrs. De Long was proud of her parental, educational and professional achievements. But her greatest joy was her relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ. She faithfully passed on her beliefs to her daughters and sons-in-law, as well as to countless others who, to this day, talk about ways in which she blessed them with her wisdom, understanding and fervent prayers. She once wrote to her children, “The most powerful words ever spoken are ‘Your sins are forgiven’. They are the foundation of life itself – the containment of all wholeness, all healing, all contentment, all that is good in human relationships.”
Survivors include her daughters, Ellen (Don) Douglass, Bo De Long (Phil) Cotty and Valery (Daniel Russell) De Long; many nieces, nephews; and sister-in-law, Fran De Long.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four siblings; two nephews; and her son-in-law, Jim Wiley.
A Visitation will take place Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 from 3-5 p.m. in Bussell Family Funerals, 1521 E. Greyhound Pass in Carmel, Ind. A family Committal Service will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations in memory, can be sent to Wheeler Mission, 2730 Madison Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46225. Bussell Family Funerals is privileged to assist the family in arrangements.