Brian Edmund Long
In loving memory

Brian Edmund Long

December 17, 1967September 26, 2026
ToughSmartLoving
“Never be scared. Always live like how you want to live.” Brian’s advice, given often
Celebrating his life

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Nelson Funeral Home · 820 W. Talcott Road, Park Ridge, IL 60068

1:00–2:30 pm
Visitation and wakeFamily and friends gather to pay their respects and celebrate Brian’s life.
2:30–4:00 pm
Memorial serviceNelson Funeral Home
5:00 pm
Reception at the family home6524 Hoffman Terrace, Morton Grove, IL 60053
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His story

From the West Side to the world, and home again

  1. December 17, 1967

    The beginning

    Brian Edmund Long was born to Robert and Rose, and grew up alongside his sister Sandra and brother Tony.

  2. Growing up

    K-Town made him tough

    He came up around K-Town on Chicago’s West Side, where nothing was handed to anyone. He learned early how to handle any problem that came his way, and how to protect the people he cared about.

  3. The turning point

    He chose a different road

    Brian stepped away from the streets, went to college and graduated as an engineer. Everyone who knew where he started understood what that took.

  4. His career

    Medical engineer, world traveler

    He built a career as a medical engineer and traveled all across the United States and around the world, from Spain to Japan. He could write a killer résumé and walk into any room.

  5. 26 years

    Shireen

    He married the love of his life, Shireen. Through 26 years, every struggle and every celebration, she was right by his side.

  6. Morton Grove

    Dad

    In Morton Grove they raised Ethan, Nisha and Nayah. The house filled up with Bears games, barbecues, dogs, computer parts and side projects that were always about to be finished.

  7. The bonus years

    He outlived the odds

    Despite serious health complications, Brian lived well past what anyone expected. A week before he passed, he was still putting up new security cameras around the house to keep his family safe.

  8. September 26, 2026

    At peace

    Brian died peacefully at home in his bed upstairs, doing what he loved: watching a western.

Who he was

The armor and the heart underneath

Tough

He went from literal rags to riches. He could be intimidating, and his blunt words could catch you off guard. If anyone was giving you trouble, Brian was the person you wanted on your side.

Smart

He was an engineer by trade and a builder by nature. He built computers, fixed whatever was broken, followed every new piece of technology, and always had a theory about what was really going on.

Loving

The toughness was armor he built to survive the world. Underneath it was unconditional love. He asked his kids for a kiss every single time he saw them, well into their adult years.

What he loved

A few of Brian’s favorite things

Da Bears and the BullsFootball Sundays were sacred.
His famous ribsNobody left a family barbecue hungry.
Building computersAnd any new piece of tech he could get his hands on.
Westerns and a good movieTV on, feet up, remote in hand.
A good conspiracy theoryHe always knew what they weren’t telling us.
St. CroixThe beaches, the water and the quiet.
Family and friendsThe bigger the gathering, the better.
His dogsDexter, Missy and now Bruce.
Projects around the houseMany started. A few finished.
Stories that make us smile

You never knew what Brian would do next

The surprise dog

When Ethan was about ten, Brian came home with a dog. He hadn’t asked anyone, and Shireen did not like dogs. They named him Dexter, and he became family.

Fish curry versus pepper chicken

Brian would say exactly what he thought right to your face, and then say the kindest things about you when you weren’t around. He once told Shireen, in much stronger words than these, that he didn’t like her fish curry. Then he turned to Ethan and said:

“I really love her pepper chicken though. It’s so good.”

Ethan’s reply: “Dude, you could’ve told her you like the pepper chicken.” It was a work in progress, but it always came from love.

Ice cream, no questions asked

Whenever Nisha and Nayah wanted ice cream, he went and got it. Any time, no questions asked.

A kiss every time

No matter how old his kids got, Brian asked for a kiss every single time he saw them.

By his side

The reason he had the extra years

He loved her deeply, and she gave everything she had to support him.

Behind closed doors, through every struggle, Shireen was there. She went with him to his appointments and talked with him through his hardest days.

Brian would not have had the life he did, or the time he had with his family, without her standing right beside him.

His family

The people he loved most

Wife
Shireen, his wife of 26 years
Children
Ethan, Nisha and Nayah
Parents
Robert and the late Rose
Siblings
Sandra and Tony
Nieces & nephews
Mira, Robbie, Amelia, Aiden and Aria
Also dear to him
Jessica, Ben, Savio and Sonia
His buddy
Bruce

Along with his extended family and many dear friends.

Guestbook

Share a memory of Brian

Do you have a story, a laugh or a moment with Brian? The family would love to read it.

Your memory appears on this page right away. A few may be held for the family to read first.

Memories from family and friends

Until we meet again

Rosey Nana, Dexter, Missy and so many others are waiting with him. When the time comes, we’ll come upstairs and join him watching that western.

We love you, Dad. More than you know.