Laura Lynne Youngblood

Laura Lynne Solomon Youngblood, age 49, passed away peacefullyon Friday, October 24, 2025, after a long battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was under the care of family, friends and Guiding Light hospice team. Laura was born on August 22, 1976, in Santa Cruz, CA, to Harvey J. Solomon and Mary F. Solomon (née Currier). She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Solomon, in 2015. She is survived by her husband of 19 years, Adam Charles Youngblood; father, Harvey J. Solomon, and stepmother, Jan Hussey; brother, Jeff Solomon, sister-in-law, Kara, and their sons, Parker, Bennett and Weston; along with a long list of loving relatives by birth and marriage. Laura grew up in a small town in California called Ben Lomond, nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She attended San Lorenzo Vally High School, where she was the valedictorian of her class. Growing up, she had a friends group called 'The Goddesses' whose companionship lasted up until the present day. April, Amanda, Marci, Eva, Shoshana, Renel and Ursula stayed close to Laura up until the very end. She attended Cal Poly University as an undergraduate and received her master's degree in epidemiology from Emory University in Atlanta. It was at Emory where she met some of her lifelong friends: Nicole, Cindy, Erin, Steve, Julie & Ryan. Laura worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for close to 25 years. She spent the majority of her career there working to protect the rights of people participating in research studies. She was a fierce advocate for human subjects protections and was recognized at CDC as well as nationally as a foremost expert in her field. She is remembered for her leadership, passion, and commitment to public health by colleagues across the agency, including her supervisors, Elise and Rita, and team members, Nicky, James, Dena, Chip, Rudith, Tykitcha, and Tamika. Staff across CDC benefited greatly from her vast knowledge, trainings, mentorship, and counsel. Her passion was singing, and she was a member of several choirs in the Atlanta area, including the Collegium Vocale, William Baker Festival Singers and the Voces Altum. She was mentored by her vocal teacher, Rebecca Shipley, for 15 years in Atlanta. She and her mom, Mary, performed together in the San Lorenzo Valley Women's Choir and the Patti McDonald Singers. Another one of her lifelong interests was running. She loved running the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, even years into her diagnosis. Her local running and friends group, called the 'Running Ladies', included Jacqui, Tammy, Sherri, Jocelyn and Danah. Laura battled cancer for over 7 years and became a sister in her cancer fight with Adam's lifelong friend, Ashley Proper. This is a terrible illness that has affected many of Laura's loved ones, and she would strongly encourage everyone to get screened as early as possible. Of course, there were many others not named, but that doesn't mean they were any less loved by Laura and with her in her time of need. In turn, she was loved by her family, friends, and colleagues for her warmth, generosity, kindness, brilliance, sense of humor, and boundless optimism, and she is greatly missed by all. In lieu of flowers, meal trains, etc., please consider donating to the Newnan-Coweta Humane Society (or your local humane society) in her honor. Her love and advocacy of cats was something she was known for and even just a small donation can save the life of a cat in need. In honoring her wishes, a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory (770) 253-4580

Laura Lynne Youngblood

August 22, 1976 - October 24, 2025