Freda C. (Blakey) Long

Freda C. (Blakey) Long, 92, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was called home on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. A private family visitation will be held. A public Celebration of Life will follow at a later date, with the time and place pending. Burial: Oak Hill Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Cedar Rapids is assisting the family.

Freda was born on December 16, 1933, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of Lottie (Parkey) and John Amity Blakey, Sr. She graduated from McKinley High School and later attended Crescent Beauty School in Des Moines, Iowa, after being denied admission to the Cedar Rapids Paris Academy because of her race. To save money for beauty school, Freda worked at Armstrong’s Department Store. She later worked at Thelma Price’s 8th Avenue Beauty Shop before eventually opening her own salon, Freda’s Beauty Rama and Gift Shop, in Cedar Rapids.

On May 22, 1965, she was united in marriage to Robert “Bob” H. Long in Preston, Minnesota. Freda was a member of the African American Museum of Iowa and Bethel AME Church, and she served on the scholarship committee for the Criterion Women’s Club. She enjoyed ceramics, crafts, flower decorating, and organizing fashion shows to raise funds for community scholarships. Freda was a beloved mother and grandmother.

Survivors include her children, Edwin Montgomery, Carole Long and Theresa Long, all of Cedar Rapids; her grandchildren, Anthony (Brittany) Montgomery and Octavia Cox; two great-grandchildren, Achilleus Montgomery and Artemis Montgomery; her brother, Ronnie Blakey; her precious “Bugga Bear,” Bubbles; and a host of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Amity and Lottie Blakey; her husband, Bob Long; and eight of her siblings.

Memorials may be directed to the African American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.