Robert Lloyd Long
1973 - 2026
Robert Lloyd Long
February 18, 1973 – July 8, 2026
Robert Lloyd Long, 53, of High Point, NC passed away peacefully at home on July 8, 2026.
Rob was born in Portsmouth, VA to Robert Leroy Long & Tawana Petzold Long, though he considered Springfield, MO, where he spent much of his young life, his hometown.
He met the love of his life & best friend, Erika Tabaczynski, in Live Oak, Fl in April 1997 and they joined in marriage in June of 1998. Rob & Erika celebrated the blessed additions to their family of their children in 1999 with the birth of Kyra “Oliver” and in 2004 with Zachary “Ash.”
Rob studied and received his bachelor’s degree from Westwood University in 2011 while living in Chiefland, Fl with his family and in-laws. He and his family moved to North Carolina in May of 2013 and two weeks later Rob joined his professional family at Noregon Systems, Inc. At Noregon, Rob thrived at and fulfilled numerous roles. He took great pride in his teams’ accomplishments but more in who they were as people and friends.
Rob enjoyed many things in life; fishing, reading, gaming, and anything else that challenged his brain. Mostly, though, he enjoyed the time he spent with his wife, children & their partners, that he loved so much. As a family they relished the moments travelling, playing games, talking about every imaginable subject for hours and just being together. He also enjoyed, laughed and occasionally cursed at the antics of his pet family; dog, Daisy; cat, Yelp; turtle, Morla and 4 grand-kitties; Nightmare, Toby, Ghost and Chaos.
Rob was preceded in death by his grandfather, Frank Long; grandmother, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Long; father, Robert Leroy Long; and uncle, Allen Long.
He is survived by his loving wife and children Erika Long, Kyra “Oliver” Long-Holiday (Autumn) and Zachary “Ash” Long; Step-mother Mary Long; Sister Jennifer Johns (Jeremiah); Step-brothers James Phelan, Chris Phelan and Casey Phelan; Parent in-laws Wayne & Darlene Gothard; sister in-law Jennifer Coddington; and a great many nieces, nephews and extended family.
His family would like to hear stories, memories and thoughts from all friends and family. You can email them directly to robu51613@gmail.com.
A celebration of life will be organized for family and friends to attend, to be announced at a later date.
Some people leave behind accomplishments. Others leave behind memories. Rob did both.
He was a proud nerd in the best possible way. He loved video games, could talk about Star Wars, Final Fantasy and so much deep lore for hours, and never lost that sense of wonder that so many people lose as they get older. Whether it was quoting some deep intellectuals information or sharing something he was excited about(I will never forget the doomed D&D game) he showed what true passion was.
But the things I’ll remember most had nothing to do with games or Star Wars, the awesome video games he let me play when he was first starting development ideas, I’ll remember the way he believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself. When he gave me encouragement to stand for my family(my daughter and myself) and to never give up no matter how lost I got on my journey.
During some of the darkest moments of my life, when I was battling drug and alcohol addiction, he never stopped encouraging me. He never stopped seeing the person I could become instead of the mistakes I had made. He supported my goals, celebrated every step forward, and reminded me that I was capable of building a better life. I don’t know if he ever realized just how much those words meant to me, but they helped carry me through.
The hardest part about losing someone like him isn’t just that he’s gone, it’s knowing the world has one less person who loved so genuinely and encouraged so freely. He made people’s lives better simply by being in them.
I hope I can honor his memory by living the kind of life he always believed I could live. Every goal I reach, every challenge I overcome, and every day I stay on the right path will carry a piece of him with me.
Thank you for believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. Thank you for every conversation, every laugh, every shared passion, and every word of encouragement.
May the Force be with you, Uncle Rob. Always.
I love you, and I’ll miss you for the rest of my life.
Rob Long hired me. Well, the other half dozen people at the table were involved, too, but Rob was the one who pushed for Yes, even though he’d known me for less than thirty minutes. I spent the rest of his life trying to live up to his trust in me.
Half a century earlier, my role model growing up had been chief engineer Montgomery Scott on the original 1960s Star Trek. I watched Scotty climbing up inside the engine, plugging in cables and, at 7 years old, I had no idea what he was doing… but I wanted to do that someday. As it happened, for most of my career I had desk jobs. But thanks to Rob, I’ve spent much of the last three years climbing up inside UPS brown vans and Link-Belt excavators, plugging in cables, and living out my childhood dream. Because of Rob, I can finally call myself an engineer. I will always be grateful.
Here to help,
Marc Fountain