City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
John Edward (Eddie) Long Sr.
Cary, North Carolina
Age 77.
Died 05/16/2026.
Eddie Sr. graduated from Northeast Guilford High School in 1967, and was a postal clerk with the United States Postal Service for 46 years before retiring in 2021. During the Vietnam War, he enlisted and served honorably on the USS William M. Wood (DD 715), the same Navy ship as his two older brothers before him. Above all, his faith in God was most important to him, and he loved being a member of Gospel Baptist Church, volunteering as a Sunday School teacher, and helping with Vacation Bible School. Not only was he a loving husband, proud father, and exceptional Papa, he was an avid fisherman, former Boy Scout, expert storyteller, and mischievous jokester. He was often told he carried around a “golden horseshoe” because of his consistent luck playing cards, and he would make sure you knew it. He never knew a stranger, easily brightened every room he entered, and was the kind of person everyone could count on. The amount of love and laughter he brought to so many lives is truly special, unique, and irreplaceable.
He is survived in life by his loving wife of 55 years, Shirley P. Long; his brothers Michael Long and David Long (wife Terry); his sister Joyce Smith; his children Sandy Oakley (husband Anthony) and John Edward Long Jr.; granddaughters Kaitlyn Moore (husband Allen) and Morgan Oakley (fiancé Seth); and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and extended family. He was preceded in death by his father (Shelly Long), mother (Edna Long), brothers (Tommy Long, Allen Long, Charles Long and Jerry Long), and sisters (Elaine Long and Margaret Ritter).
In celebration of Eddie Sr.’s life, a Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 2:00pm at Gospel Baptist Church (5945 North Church Street, Greensboro, NC 27455). Immediately following the Service, there will be a Visitation in the church’s banquet hall.
Eddie Sr.’s time in the Navy was always important to him, and he held all veterans in high esteem. We discovered the Veterans Memorial Reef organization, which honors veterans by interring their remains in a special capsule that is lowered into the sea to create an artificial reef off the coast of North Carolina. The reef is located five miles off the coast of Carolina Beach, supporting marine life and protecting the coastline. We believe this is the perfect place to lay him to rest, and we want to give anyone who would like to be a part of this the chance to contribute to this fund in lieu of flowers. Please see the link below for more information.
https://gofund.me/5e401796a
We thank you all for being such a wonderful part of his and our lives.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.