Mary Jean "MJ" Longley

Dec 3, 1943 -

Mar 3, 2026

Dr. Mary Jean "MJ" Longley, Inupiaq elder, educator and advocate for learning in indigenous communities in Alaska and across the country, passed away on March 3, 2026, in Arizona.

Mary Jean was born in Nome, Alaska, at the end of WWII. From the start of life, her love for learning was so intense, she could be found sitting on the steps of the schoolhouse waiting for it to open.

Growing up as one of eight siblings, Mary Jean loved her family. Her brothers Henry, Gary, Nicholas and Theodore, and her sisters Joan, Fran and Patricia were her foundation. After graduation, she moved to Oregon for the first of many times.

After raising a family, MJ pursued higher education with a voracious determination, earning an undergraduate degree, a master's degree, then a doctorate in education — all in record time. This allowed her to follow her heart to help her people in a variety of leadership positions across Alaska.

She had a lifelong love of fishing and an uncanny skill at catching the biggest ones. She loved exercising her mind and body and was always reading or working out.

Mary Jean's courage inspired generations of strong women and men within her family and community to pursue their dreams.

She grieved the loss of her beloved mother, Frances Longley, as well as siblings Joan, Gary, Henry and Fran, who predeceased her.

She is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Dr. Mary Jean "MJ" Longley will be remembered as an extraordinary woman whose life was defined by her passion for helping underserved communities, for her family and for The People.

She is likely fishing somewhere in the afterlife, smiling and surrounded by her ancestors.

She will not be forgotten.