The Foreign Service Journal, April 2010

46 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 0 F O C U S wasn’t just that. “She had a won- derful sense of humor, which you have to have in Haiti, even in the best of times,” Sanderson recalled. “Victoria is deeply missed by those who worked with or near her,” says training classmate and fel- low Africa public affairs officer Kristin M. Kane. “Her profession- alism, poise and public diplomacy skills were an example to us all. May her loved ones know what a great service she did for our nation.” Lois L. Bozilov, a colleague who served with her in Kuala Lumpur, concurs: “She was a valued co- worker and friend who will be missed by all her Foreign Service colleagues.” “We served together in Bonn. She was remarkably tal- ented and dedicated. Together we traveled over much of Europe, and she especially en- joyed visiting the myriad of Christ- mas markets,” recalls FSOFrances Parish. “She enjoyed all of her as- signments but particularly those as a public diplomacy officer, where she was able to meet many new friends and mingle with the local cultures,” Parish adds. “Victoria was a wonderful person, and I will miss her warmth and friendship.” An avid reader with a special liking for historical fiction, Ms. DeLong also loved to travel. Apart from the work that took her round the world, she made a trip to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone and, in 2007, went on a Zambezi River safari. A serious photographer, she took many pic- tures of her travels and her friends. She also had a passion for scuba diving, a sport she took up during her assignment to Papua New Guinea. Family members recall her enthusiastic reports of dives in that area and the exquisite beauty of diving on the Great Bar- rier Reef. Later, she took up golf with equal relish. On Jan. 30, at a Memorial Service in Whittier, Calif., family and friends gathered to celebrate her life and to say good-bye. “Victoria cared deeply for her family and friends,” her family said. “She was a wonderful sister, friend and humanitarian. She was cheerful and full of life in all her endeavors and accomplishments.” AFSA President Susan Johnson presented the DeLong family with a U.S. flag on the occasion. She is survived by her mother, Sheila DeLong of Rancho Cuca- monga, Calif.; two sisters, Rita Gima of Temple City, Calif., and Pamela Watson of Alta Loma, Calif.; a brother-in-law Michael Gima; two nieces, Jen- nifer and Amanda; and a nephew, Kyle. To honor Victoria’s memory, donations can be made to the Little Flower/Rosa Mina Orphanage in Haiti where she volunteered. Online donations cn be made through the Partners in Progress Web site ( www.piphaiti.org/) . A N ‘U NIMAGINABLE ’ T RAGEDY At Sec. Clinton’s Jan. 26 town meeting for State Department and USAID employees, there was a moment of silence in honor of all those who lost their lives or were still missing in the Haiti disaster. In addition to Victoria DeLong, Sec. Clinton paid tribute to Lau- rence, Evan and Baptiste Wyllie. The wife and two young children of FSO Andrew Wyllie also per- ished in the earthquake. Heartfelt support has gone out from colleagues to Wyllie, an offi- cer in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration on assignment in Haiti, who “inconceivably, unimagin- ably” — as Sec. Clinton put it in her emotional acknowl- edgment — lost his wife on her birthday and his 7- and 5-year-old children. “Laurence was a lovely foil to Andy, a soulful artist and a patient friend,” FSO Chase Beamer, who considers Wyllie a close friend and mentor, wrote in tribute from She had fallen in love with the country’s people and culture and called this tour the highlight of her 27-year diplomatic career. FSO Andrew Wyllie with his family in happier times. Victoria DeLong