Obituary of Mary Louise Longley

Mary Louise Longley, a resident of Jackson, California, died on May 21, 2023, in a car accident. She was 80. She is survived by her nephew Steven Walter Kirk, her niece Katherine Louise Kirk, Katherine’s children Nicholas Kirk Sampson, Rebecca Louise Sampson and Sarah Elizabeth Sampson, three stepchildren, John Buchanan Jr, Rebecca Buchanan, and Alice Kuhn, and her three cats, Brondi, Nosie, and Bruno. She is preceded in death by her sister Harriett Kirk, and her husband, John Buchanan Sr.

 

Louise was born September 15, 1942, in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Russell Groth Longley and Mary Temple Longley. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated with a degree in Art History. She traveled in Europe, married a Dutchman, Jaques Kauman, and settled in Holland for a few years. Upon his transfer to Salt Lake City, Utah she began studying law at the University of Utah where she graduated with a law degree. She was divorced and moved back to the Chicago area to start her law career in 1974. She was admitted to the California bar in July of 1975, and moved to San Francisco in 1977 to practice securities law with a large national and international securities and investment banking firms.

 

In San Francisco, she met John Buchanan Sr, and they married in May 1987. They lived in San Francisco until 1992, when John retired and they moved to Jackson, California. Louise opened her estate planning and elder law firm in Jackson, and worked helping people plan and execute their estates until her retirement in July 2022.

 

Louise loved to travel, music, art, and sharing her love with her friends and family. She was the ultimate host, docent and travel advisor. She and her husband John loved to go to the opera in San Francisco, and stay the weekend, enjoying the city. They traveled to Oregon many times to attend the Shakespeare festivals and spent countless hours in art museums. She enjoyed boating with John in Santa Cruz on Monterey Bay, and she took John on a boating trip to the Mediterranean.

Sharing her passions with those she loved was very important to Louise. She entertained and took care of her family and friends by feeding them and making sure they had plenty to do when they visited. The breadth of her knowledge about art and history was astounding, and learning from her was always a pleasure. Just being around Louise made everyone feel better.

Louise supported many charitable organizations in Amador County. She volunteered at the Calaveras and Amador County Senior Centers, offering pro bono work for local seniors. She supported Hospice of Amador County, and served on the boards of other local charities. She was always ready and willing to help anyone who reached out to her. Her generous and kind spirit will be greatly missed by the citizens of Jackson and Amador County.

Those who knew Louise will always remember her kindness, her intelligence, and her undying devotion to her family and friends. She will be missed, but never forgotten, by those whose lives she touched.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you donate to the Amador County Hospice, or the Amador County Senior Center. A Celebration of Life will be held on July 8, 2023 at 12:00 PM, at the Amador County Senior Center, Jackson, CA

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