LaTanya Long-Sullivan, Hyde Park crossing guard who was tiny, fierce and adored, dies at 64

In a giant coat that nearly swallowed her four-foot-something frame, and holding a red stop sign that seemed half her size, LaTanya Long-Sullivan often received hugs from kids and parents, and pretty much any other regular passerby, before shepherding them across the street at the corner of 57th and Kimbark in Hyde Park.

"Ms. Tanya," as she was known to generations of Ray Elementary School and Chicago Lab School students, was a crossing guard at the corner for 26 years and was ingrained in the community. She attended graduation ceremonies, remembered names and birthdays and hardly ever missed a day of work.

"She had a huge personality and called all the kids her 'kids,'" said Michelle Jefferson, who has two kids who attended Ray. "And she was always very protective of the children."

Despite her small stature, she could immediately become fierce if a driver endangered safety at her corner.

"If drivers pushed the limits, she would yell if she needed to," Jefferson said.

Mrs. Long-Sullivan's brother, Kevin Long, said she learned how to be a guardian long before she picked up the stop sign.

"When we were kids, she wouldn't let nobody do nothing to her sisters or brothers. She was tiny, but she came in fighting, didn't do no talking. And if you was a bully on the block you couldn't bully us," he said.

Mrs. Long-Sullivan died March 30 from what family suspects was a heart attack. She was 64.

"She just loved hugs and happy children and excited parents, and she was humorous just had an unwavering commitment," said her sister, Diedre Long.

Mrs. Long-Sullivan grew up in South Shore, the middle child of five siblings. Her parents were Charlie and Dorothy Long. He was a mechanic and a gas station owner. She was a teacher's assistant.

Ray Elementary School students held a memorial last week near the corner where Mrs. Long-Sullivan performed her duties and put up poster boards that displayed messages from the students that included: "You are the best because you are kind" and "Thank you for your special gift" and "She was the best, if I had a wish I would bring you back to life."

Hundreds of students also placed flowers at the corner.

"She wasn't just a crossing guard. She was more like a mom," said Ray Principal Gayle Harris-Neely.

"It was beautiful to see the tribute," Harris-Neely said.

Mrs. Long-Sullivan kept little treasures — like dolls or toy cars — in her backpack to give to kids for birthdays and other special occasions, with their parents' permission, her sister said.

"She cared more about people than herself," she said. "Kids who graduated and were grown would come back to introduce their children to her because she made a difference in their lives."

Mrs. Long-Sullivan, who lived in South Shore, is survived by her husband, Clifford Long, and her son, Darrius Long.

A funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Gatling's Chapel, Inc., 10133 S. Halsted St.