Bertha Mae Longfellow

Bertha Mae Longfellow, lovingly known to so many as “Mom-Mom Bert” or “Aunt Bert,” passed away peacefully on July 28, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family. She was born on June 25, 1936, in Ingleside, to the late Raymond and Elizabeth Cannon Holden. She lived a life defined by love, hard work, kindness, and unwavering devotion to her family.

Bertha Mae was the heart of her family. She spent her life as a homemaker and farm wife, working alongside her beloved husband, Marion, to build a home where the coffee was always on, the front door was always open, and no one ever left feeling like a stranger. She devoted her life to caring for others and helped raise not only her own children, but also her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and countless friends who became family. Her home was a gathering place filled with laughter, good food, board games, unconditional love, and always an extra seat at the dinner table.

Bertha Mae was a proud lifetime member of the former VFW Denton Post 7937 and then VFW Federalsburg Post 5246, as well as The American Legion Post 29, where she found friendship, laughter, and a sense of community that she truly treasured throughout the years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion Longfellow; her daughter, Jona Kolakowski; her siblings, David Holden, Bill Holden, Harry Holden, Barbra Holden and Sandy Schaffner.

Her memory will be cherished by her surviving family: her son, Chris Longfellow, and his wife, Penny; her son-in-law, Mark Kolakowski; her favorites (better known as her grandchildren), Nichole Fox (Kevin), Brittany Longfellow (Zach), Tyler Longfellow (Courtney), and Emily Woodward; her great-grandchildren, Grayson, Paislee Mae, Scott, Saylor, Paisley, Caden, and Emersyn Jona; her beloved siblings, Wayne Holden (Mary), Allen Holden (Sharon), and Nancy Faye; along with many nieces, nephews, and those extended family members who loved her so deeply that she became known as “Mom-Mom Bert” and “Aunt Bert”.

While our hearts are broken, we find comfort knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, Marion, and her daughter, Jona. We will miss her laughter, her morning coffee, and the familiar sight of her sitting on the front porch.

More than anything, Bertha Mae will be remembered for the way she made people feel. Her gift for turning friends into family and opening her home and heart to anyone who needed a meal, a conversation, or simply a place to belong. Her greatest legacy isn’t found in what she owned, but in the love she gave so freely and the family she helped build.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Fleegle and Helfenbein Funeral Home, with visitation one hour prior. Burial will follow at Greensboro Cemetery. Following the burial, family and friends are invited back to The American Legion Post 29 in Denton, MD, for a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bertha Mae’s memory to Fleegle-Helfenbein Funeral Home, Greensboro, MD, or The American Legion Post 29 of Denton, MD.