DeLong Carrie J., age 41, of Excelsior, died April 14, 2003 after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. Preceded in death by father, Vance DeLong Sr. Survived by mother, Peggy; brother, Vance (Molly); niece, Kyla; nephew, Shafer; and many loving & caring friends.
Carrie was smart, funny, and a talented musician. She earned her CPA after college, worked at General Mills, moved to L.A. where she worked in the film industry, and ended up with an executive position for FunCo in the Twin Cities.
Kurt von Schmidt-Pauli
Carrie graduated with us in 1979. She worked at least one summer with my mother in a real estate appraisal office. We attended church together and Carrie was courageous in facing her battle with illness that finally claimed her.Rob Olson
I wanted to add a few thoughts and memories to give a glimpse into Carrie’s life. I got to know Carrie through instrumental music at Edina West. We were part of a talented group of freshman that auditioned for and were accepted into the high school concert and varsity bands. She and I shared a variety of experiences that freshman year and I know she would say that it was one of her most memorable years due to the interaction we had with a group of seniors (Class of ’76) that were kind enough to share their talent and make us laugh with their humor. Through out high school I knew her as a smart and somewhat shy person – but articulate if engaged in conversation. After graduation, we both went on to attend college at Gustavus Adolphus College. Carrie attended Gustavus for two years. Although we did not spend a lot of time together, we did share some common interests. Once again, we found ourselves together in the instrumental music groups. It was comforting to see a familiar face in the sea of new faces. We also shared the same major (Accounting) and therefore had some classes together. I gave her rides back home to Edina on weekends and holidays which afforded us the opportunity to talk and compare notes. What I remember about Carrie was her quiet intelligence. She was flat out smart. What I took away from interacting with Carrie was to never underestimate those people that appeared quiet and reserved – but instead to engage them because they often had the most insightful thoughts worth remembering. After college, I lost contact with Carrie for about 8-9 years. Once again, our paths crossed in the late 1980’s as we both found ourselves working for General Mills, Inc in Golden Valley. We were in the finance and accounting group working in various departments etc. Carrie left General Mills in the early 1990’s. The obituary did not mention it, and I could be wrong, but I was sure she left General Mills to attend graduate school at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. That’s how, in my mind, she made it out to California. I remember being impressed and realizing she was on her way to a very successful professional career. Again, I lost touch with her until reading of death. As with all of our deceased classmates, she was a person worth remembering and I’m happy our paths crossed.