This feature ran in the last issue of The Cullman Tribune’s “Community Matters” magazine.
On Sept. 18, 2025, Laura Long left this world to enter her eternal home with the Lord. It was a difficult day for everyone who knew her, and the days that followed were just as heavy.
As a reporter and writer for The Cullman Tribune, I have the privilege of sharing stories about people whose lives create change — stories that might otherwise go untold. Laura was one of those people. She changed lives, especially mine.
I believe who she is and what she did for me captures perfectly the essence of our magazine, “Community Matters.” I mattered to her even when it didn’t make sense to me.
Below, you’ll find her obituary, lovingly written by her family. Following that are the words I shared at her memorial service — a small glimpse into what she meant to me and the lasting impact she had on my life.
Obituary for Laura Leigh Long:
Funeral Service for Laura Leigh Long, age 55 of Cullman, will be at 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home with Dr. Jeff Steele officiating; burial at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 -8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home.
Cullman Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Long passed away on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at Cullman Regional. She was born, Dec. 4, 1969, to Jerry Steven York and Linda Joan Dorris York.
She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Ethan York.
Survivors include her husband of 35 years, Douglas Long; her second mom Annette Long Whitt; her children, Micah York (Kathy), Samuel Long (Dori), Stephen Long (Maeghan), JonLuke Long (Emily); grandchildren, Gia and Mal York, Ellie Mae and Gracie Long, Kairi and Noble Long; Isabelle Long (grand dog); sister, Betsy Hutson (Clint); brother, Seth York; brother in law, Robert Long (Lisa) and a host of nieces, nephews family and friends.
Serving as pallbearers will be, Micah York, Stephen Long, Gauge Day, Sam Long, JonLuke Long and Hunter Potts.
Laura was a Godly woman, a beloved wife and “Yaya” to her grandchildren and she loved her family more than anything. She will be greatly missed.
I wanted to say what an honor it was for me and Hunter to be able to serve as pallbearers and be a small part in the celebration of Laura’s life. I asked Doug and the family if it would be okay if I shared really quickly before I prayed. I’ve never done well with grief but writing my feelings out seems to give me an ability to cope.
For those who don’t know my story, there were many years in my life as a young teenager where the only place I could call home was the Longs’ house. It was a safe place. They cooked the best foods, especially Doug’s chili. I know Laura can hear me now when I say I am sorry for never trying your homemade gumbo. They gave me a place to sleep whenever I needed it and never once asked me to leave. I spent weeks and months at a time at their home, believing in my own heart that they were tired of seeing me there, even though it wasn’t true. They truly treated me as one of their own, taking me on trips, buying me clothes, asking me about work and other things. They gave me a sense of normalcy.
It was in those years that I called their home my home, that I was exposed to the first, and still to this day, greatest example of a marriage built in love. They truly were the apples of each other’s eyes. They were each other’s favorite person and as I have grown older, I realize now how rare that can be in our world. It was something I had never experienced in my life, and I truly believe that example became a cornerstone in my own marriage today. I’m forever grateful for that.
But before I end, let me share with you my favorite thing that Laura ever did for me.
Today, I stand before you as a youth pastor and someone who will boldly claim Jesus as my Lord and Savior before all. Jesus has changed my life. But it’s not lost on me how I got here. Because of Laura and her love for her boys and how she showed me that same love, I truly believe she played a critical part in me finding Jesus.
As a youth pastor, I know what it is to open a home to someone. I know it’s hard and can be uncomfortable. It has costs you don’t even consider when you first let them in. Sometimes it feels like you lose a sense of privacy. And disagreements happen, and Laura and I for sure had those. She once threatened to scrub off my tattoos with a toothbrush.
Disagreements or not, though, she never ceased to love me. Those years I spent at the Longs’ house, watching Doug and Laura lead a home with love, helped me realize what my own life could be like someday.
They challenged me to break the wheel in my own life.
And because Laura never closed the door to her home, or her heart for me, I was able to grow close to all of them, especially Stephen, which eventually led to him inviting me to a singing where I was saved.
Laura’s legacy in my life is a home that led me to a grace I never deserved. A grace that I found in Jesus. A grace that Laura exhibited to me and many others during her time here on Earth. And while she is no longer here with us, I celebrate the fact that my soul is wrapped in eternity because a woman named Laura and her family loved me enough to give me a place to call home.
Doug, thank you for loving me as your own, just like Laura did. Thank you, brothers, for sharing your mother with me. I love you guys.
