Written by Helen's family:

Helen Viola (Pashcanoff) Long was born on April 3, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, and passed away this June 15th in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, with her beloved sister Vera and her daughter Kathy by her side.

Helen was always sorry that she wasn't born on April Fools' Day because that was her favorite holiday, She had a great sense of humor, and she tremendously enjoyed the great comedy films (Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Marx Brothers, etc.) of the early part of the 20th century.

Helen's favorite role in life was that of being a wife and mother. She was married to Robert Long on March 16, 1946. They went to Death Valley on their honeymoon, and later drove, hiked, and backpacked through much of the western United States. Helen loved to tell how she and Robert hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and all the way back out — in one day, eking out the energy to reach the rim one raisin at a time — only to learn later that the hike is supposed to be done over two days. After a brief sojourn in the early ‘50s with her husband Robert on a farm in southern Indiana, where her daughter Kathy was born, they moved back to southern California, where she went back to school to continue her interrupted education. She earned a Master's Degree in mathematics, and then taught math classes at the local high school and junior college. Helen and Robert also loved to travel, visiting Europe many times, as well as taking trips to other exotic places such as Japan and China, and their favorite destination, New Zealand, where they made many long-lasting friends among their fellow trekkers on the Milford Track.

Helen was preceded in death by her beloved husband Robert, whom she never stopped missing every day of her life after he passed away. She is survived by her daughter Kathy Holian and son-in-law Brad; her son Eric Long and daughter-in-law Aya Yoshino; her sister Vera Lambase; her younger sister Greta Karakasheva; her cousin Greta Boteva from Bulgaria; a number of nieces and nephews, and their families.

Helen will be very much missed for her keen intelligence, her interesting conversations, and her strong, lifelong commitment to a better world.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, or the Los Alamos Study Group.