Kristen M. Long

Kristen Marie Long
June 6, 1988 – March 6, 2025
It is with sad and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Kristen Marie Long who passed away at home on Thursday, March 6, 2025, surrounded by loving family members. Despite her long and courageous struggle with cancer Kristen maintained her sense of humor and silly, loving personality. Kristen was born in Ashford, CT. where she lived throughout grade and high school and later moved to South Windham where she lived with her husband Robert Leal.
Kristen’s early years were spent at a waterfront home on Lake Chaffee where she spent many happy hours and days swimming, fishing, boating and rope swinging with her friends and family. Kristen strapped on her first pair of downhill skis at Breckenridge Colorado when she was 2 yrs old and began a lifetime love of the sport. She skied almost every major peak in New England with her favorite being Sunday River in Maine.
Kristen and Robert were very happily married on June 9th of 2018. Kristen began work at a local health spa and worked her way up to Manager before her failing health prevented her from working any longer. She really enjoyed working with people, her position provided her with an opportunity to connect with both her coworkers and many kindhearted clients. Kristen was highly creative. She enjoyed making handmade items including scented soaps and candles which were gifts we all looked forward to receiving almost as much as she enjoyed making and giving them. As a crafts person and artist Kristen Rocked!
Besides her adoring husband Robert Leal, she is survived by her mother, Karen Mills Long and her husband Ted Girshick of Chaplin, CT; her father Michael Long and his wife Michelle Carberry Long of Ashford CT; her maternal grandmother, “Memere” Blanche Mills of Windham, CT; her paternal grandmother, “Granny” Marie Insalaco Long of Mansfield, CT; her step siblings Steeve, Michael and Elise Parent and their families; Kristen’s God Mother and aunt, Catherine Long Salai was very close and helpful to Kristen, providing ongoing love and support throughout her lifetime. She also survived by her in-laws, many aunts, uncles, great aunts and great uncles, cousins and her very special, close friends Alex Donato-Nash, Beatrice Perez and Lindsay Paine.
Kristen also leaves behind her two most dearly loved feline fur babies, Midnight and Toby. Kristen was predeceased by her cherished grandfathers, Gerald S. Mills (Gramps) and Thomas F. Long Sr. (PopPop).
In accordance with her wishes, there will be no calling hours, instead a celebration of Kristen’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Kristen’s name to support research and help fight against cancer to Memorial Sloan Kettering ( https://giving.mskcc.org/donate/honor-memory ) or Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology ( https://echoassociates.org/make-a-donation/ ). Kristen was also very passionate about helping animals and we know her spirit will appreciate anything you can do to help your local animal shelter.