A FULL TRIBUTE to Tess DeLong would fill this column with adjectives of praise and come nowhere near explaining who she was or how important she was to her friends and her community.
Tess was smart, funny and kind. At her funeral Monday, there will probably be many stories of her kindness and generosity. But there should be some salt to balance the sugar.
There were times when Tess’ honesty trumped her kindness. She could not abide pomposity or lies. When she met them, her intelligence and wit took over, leaving kindness standing back to hold their coats.
One of the joys of working in The Gazette newsroom with Tess lay in having a ringside seat when a pompous club member or preacher walked in to demand unwarranted special treatment for a club event or a church do.
Tess would always begin with a polite refusal. If the supplicant continued to press, the polite refusal would become a curt “No.” Sometimes, that was not enough. When supplicants decided to climb upon their high horses, invoking the name of God or William Allen White, Tess would let go with both barrels.
First, she would duck her head and snort with exasperation, her eyes darting to the side as she looked for inner strength. Then she would raise her head, look her opponent in the face, stick out her lower jaw and deliver a full charge of sarcasm, right between the eyes.
Few of her opponents cared to hang around for a second blast.
As the supplicant was on the way out the door, Tess would shake her head and ask loudly if anyone had ever witnessed such nerve.
Then she would clap her hands and start to laugh, looking delighted and embarrassed at the same time.
Whether popping egos or telling jokes on herself, Tess was always good company.
In her 96 years, she made far more friends than enemies. Most of her enemies are long gone, but her friends abide.