Maris Lynne Long

Maris Lynne Long (nee Ward), passed away peacefully the evening of Monday, March 15, 2021, at the age of 78, after a brief illness. A staple of Horseshoe Bay civic and social circles for over 30 years, Maris Lynne touched the lives of countless people across the community, and was beloved of any and all who had the profound good fortune to know her personally.

Maris Lynne was born February 16, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan, only child to Lynn and Eudora Ward. She settled with her parents in La Jolla, California upon her father’s retirement from the Navy and attended La Jolla public schools from sixth grade through high school. She received a bachelors degree in German Language and Literature from Pomona College in 1965, and an M.A. from the University of California at Irvine in 1967. She did post-graduate doctoral studies in German Language and Literature at the University of California Los Angeles.

In 1971, she married Jerry Vestal Long, and they graced business and socials scenes, and various golf courses, together in Lawton, Oklahoma (where they lived until they moved to Texas) and Horseshoe Bay until his death in 2005.

For nearly 15 years, Maris Lynne was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma, where she taught management skills and did instructional development on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration. During this time, Maris Lynne also took up theatre, a lifelong passion she shared with her husband, Jerry. They performed in numerous productions together at The Cabaret Supper Theatre in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, including playing the King and Anna opposite each other in The King and I.

After Jerry’s death, Maris Lynne immersed herself in theatre and community activities around Horseshoe Bay. She not only performed in several productions at the Hill Country Community Theatre (including hit HCCT original productions, Senior Moments and More Senior Moments), she also served on its Board of Governors and, eventually, as its President. She was also actively involved in the Bluebonnet Chorale, which performed across the Highland Lakes area.

Readers of the Beacon will remember Maris Lynne for her popular Table Talk column, where she waxed poetically - and sometimes humorously - about her dining experiences around the community. Maris Lynne gifted Beacon readers with her wit and insight in over 70 articles during her tenure. An avid golfer, Maris Lynne was also active in the local women’s golf association. She was a devoted member of PEO, serving in numerous capacities in the organization over the course of her membership. In recent years, she become involved as a volunteer in Horseshoe Bay’s Tele-Care program, which assists housebound elderly or infirm residents by providing periodic safety checks on them.

Maris Lynne is preceded in death by her parents, Lynn and Eudora, her beloved grandmother, Iva “Muzzle” Francis, and her husband, Jerry.

She is survived by her stepdaughter, Lori True (nee Long) and Lori’s husband, Bill. She is also survived by five step-grandchildren, Casey, Jonah, and Indigo Garcia, as well as Sydney and Zachary True. An end-of-life celebration will occur in the near future, and information about the event will be made available as soon as possible.

The lesson in the iconic Frank Capra film, It’s a Wonderful Life, is to measure success in the friends one makes and one’s impact on the world around them.

Maris Lynne’s friendship and impact will continue to reverberate throughout the Horseshoe Bay community and beyond for years and decades to come. To paraphrase from the film, Maris Lynne Long was, to be certain, the richest person in town.