07/31/2026
LONG, Eleanor (Guest)
Passed away on July 30, 2026, beloved wife of the late William G. Long and the late Paul Marzello Sr., loving mother of Diane Reinhart , Paul (Kim) Marzello, Kathleen (Peter) Williams, Mary Beth (Dale) Smith, Sandra Long, Mark (Stacy) Marzello, Cynthia (Michael) Honer and the late Mark (Betsy) Long, loving grandmother of 18 grandchildren and many great grandchildren. Friends and family may call Sunday August 2nd from 3:00 – 6:00 pm at the JAMES W. CANNAN FUNERAL HOME, INC., 3155 Orchard Park Road in Orchard Park (716) 675-9027., A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday August 3rd at 10:00am at St. John Vianney Church, 2950 Southwestern Blvd. in Orchard Park (please assemble at church).
Our mother’s life was a story of faith, family, strength, and a tremendous capacity to love.
As a young woman, she married Paul Marzello, and together they began raising their five children. When Paul passed away at a young age, Mom suddenly found herself raising five young children on her own. She went to work and did what needed to be done to provide for her family, showing a strength and determination that would remain part of who she was throughout her life.
Eventually, life brought Bill Long into her world through a blind date. Apparently, one date was enough for Bill to know there was something special about her, because on their second date, he asked her to marry him. Together, they brought two families together, her five children and his three, creating a blended family of eight children and building a new life together.
Family was always at the center of Mom’s life, and over the years that family grew to include 18 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, all of whom she loved immensely. Mom is survived by seven of her eight children and a beautiful extended family that was one of the greatest joys of her life.
Mom had a gift for making ordinary moments feel special, but holidays were where she truly shined. Thanksgiving was her absolute favorite, and Christmas was always spectacular because of her and Bill. One of the traditions she and Bill created was having all the grandchildren spend the night so their parents could go Christmas shopping. It gave the parents a night to shop, but for Mom and Bill, it meant a house full of grandchildren, which was exactly where they wanted to be.
She loved to entertain, garden and craft, and in her younger years served as President of the West Seneca Home Bureau. She was also a devoted dog mom to many Labs over the years, each one becoming part of the family.
Mom had style, too. She was a fashionista who loved purple, animal prints, and anything with a little personality. She was also a devoted Buffalo Bills fan. She and Bill even attended Super Bowl XXV, witnessing “Wide Right” firsthand and hearing Whitney Houston’s unforgettable rendition of the national anthem.
In her later years, Mom was always cold. There was never quite enough heat, enough sweaters, or enough blankets. But while she may have always been cold, she had one of the warmest hearts you could ever know.
At the foundation of everything was her faith. Her relationship with God was deeply important to her, and she remained faithful to her Catholic Church throughout her life. Her faith carried her through loss, change, raising a large family, and all the joys and challenges that came with a life well lived.
Mom’s legacy lives on in her seven surviving children, 18 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and the family she loved so deeply.
We will remember the holidays and the crowded house, the Labs, the gardens and crafts, the purple and animal prints, the Buffalo Bills, and, of course, how she could never quite get warm enough.
But above all, we will remember her love.
She built her life around family, met its challenges with strength, held tightly to her faith, and left behind generations who will carry her love, her traditions, and a piece of her with them always. Kim Marzello
Online register book and obituary at www.CANNANFH.com
