Gwen Long Selected as the “State Mortician Of The Year”

Owner of Peoples Funeral Home earns State recognition.

Gwen S. Long, L.F.D. was recently selected by her peers to represent the State of Florida as “Mortician of the Year” for the Florida Morticians Association, Inc. She was nominated by District Five for her commitment and service to the District, Association and profession. Gwen has been a Licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer since 1987. Upon her licensure, she became the 1st Female LFD in Jackson County, Florida.

Gwen found her way into the funeral profession through her biology teacher. She attended Chipola Junior College and the Miami-Dade School of Mortuary Science. She completed her internship at Christian Memorial Chapel and worked as the Licensed Funeral Director in charge for almost 19 years. In 2006, she was blessed to become co-owner of Peoples Funeral Home in Marianna which has been in continuous operation since 1938.

Gwen is a service-focused funeral director and grief counselor with a strong commitment to serving the needs of grieving families before, during and after the loss of a loved one. She uses care and compassion as she structures the best possible service to meet their needs.

Gwen will be honored on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 in Tallahassee, Florida during the 85th Annual Convention of the Florida Morticians Association, Inc. The keynote speaker for the occasion will be Attorney Willie Gary from Stuart, Florida. Mr. Gary has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the “Top 50 Attorneys in the U.S.” and Ebony magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans“. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Boston Global to name a few. Mr. Gary has also been on 60 Minutes, the CBS Evening News, the ABC World News Tonight and has made a guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Gwen Long is the wife of Jackson County Health Department Director, William Long.