Joe Longo Sr. loses battle with lengthy illness at 70
Joe Longo Sr. loses battle with lengthy illness at 70
Joe Longo Sr. loved life.
Mr. Longo was a family man who loved to celebrate with his family and who loved food, which was appropriate for a man who worked around food nearly his entire life.
Roseanne Longo, Mr. Longo's niece and the spokesperson for Longo Bros., told The Produce News that her uncle, along with his brothers Tommy and Gus, founded the Mississauga, ON-based company.
Mr. Longo, 70, died Sept. 15, after battling a lengthy illness.
The brothers opened their first Longo's fruit and vegetable market on Toronto's Yonge Street over 52 years ago and oversaw the firm's growth to 16 family-owned Longo's supermarkets employing some 3,000 people in the Toronto area.
"He loved to laugh and make people laugh. As an uncle, I remember he always had a joke to tell," she said.
Ms. Longo noted that her uncle "was known as the creative side of the produce department. He was the finesse guy. He was known for creating colorful and enticing displays of produce for customers. [The brothers] were instrumental in the growth of the company in making sure all team members carried through the values they started the business with -- always putting the customer and quality of product first."
She said that Mr. Longo also "had a passion for fast cars. He was a drag racer as a young man and he owned a Mustang and a Corvette."
In addition to his brothers and niece, Mr. Longo is survived by his wife of 42 years, Teresa; his children Rose, Jenny, Anthony and Joseph; and five grandchildren.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital Foundation. For more information, contact Chris McGarvey at the foundation, 1230 North Shore Boulevard, Burlington, ON L7R 4C4 or 905/336-6499.
Mr. Longo was a family man who loved to celebrate with his family and who loved food, which was appropriate for a man who worked around food nearly his entire life.
Roseanne Longo, Mr. Longo's niece and the spokesperson for Longo Bros., told The Produce News that her uncle, along with his brothers Tommy and Gus, founded the Mississauga, ON-based company.
Mr. Longo, 70, died Sept. 15, after battling a lengthy illness.
The brothers opened their first Longo's fruit and vegetable market on Toronto's Yonge Street over 52 years ago and oversaw the firm's growth to 16 family-owned Longo's supermarkets employing some 3,000 people in the Toronto area.
"He loved to laugh and make people laugh. As an uncle, I remember he always had a joke to tell," she said.
Ms. Longo noted that her uncle "was known as the creative side of the produce department. He was the finesse guy. He was known for creating colorful and enticing displays of produce for customers. [The brothers] were instrumental in the growth of the company in making sure all team members carried through the values they started the business with -- always putting the customer and quality of product first."
She said that Mr. Longo also "had a passion for fast cars. He was a drag racer as a young man and he owned a Mustang and a Corvette."
In addition to his brothers and niece, Mr. Longo is survived by his wife of 42 years, Teresa; his children Rose, Jenny, Anthony and Joseph; and five grandchildren.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital Foundation. For more information, contact Chris McGarvey at the foundation, 1230 North Shore Boulevard, Burlington, ON L7R 4C4 or 905/336-6499.
