Richard Longo

Richard Longo was born in the Bronx in July 1968. He loved to tell the story from his mother that the clock fell off the wall the moment he was born.
Until he got married, he spent his life in Yonkers, New York, living in a one-bedroom apartment with his parents and brother and spending time with his friends.
Rich worked in the Produce Dept. at Shopwell/A&P on Yonkers Avenue in the mid-1980s. It was there that a group of young guys who worked with Rich came together and became lifelong friends.
Rich was an active participant in everything that this group did. Many of the activities were sports related. They played touch football to wiffle ball to softball, being an original member of the No Mercy softball team. Rich never wanted to lose and played every game with a never-give-up attitude. That's who he was as a man.
Rich and his brother Eddie loved all sports. Everything from pro wrestling to horse racing and everything in between. Everyone wanted to hear Rich's analysis on the upcoming week's NFL games. But out of all these sports and all these teams, one team stood alone in Rich's heart. He absolutely loved the Arizona Wildcats college football team. One most cherished memory is his convincing his friends to risk a lot of their hard-earned dollars on his beloved Wildcats to play a dominating defensive game. They did and they all happily collected!
After Rich moved away from Yonkers, his friends understandably didn't see him nearly as much. While they missed his presence, Rich was great for keeping in touch with them and it was always a special occasion when he made his way back to New York.
Rich was one of a kind. A great guy. There was not a mean bone to be found in his body. The men from Yonkers that were lucky enough to have been his friend were better persons for having known him. He impacted their lives in a truly positive way and left them with so many happy memories that to this day make them smile when they gather and reminisce. Rich will be missed but his New York friends will never forget him.
Richard had great career enforcing federal labor laws for the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Shortly after getting engaged to his wife, Vivian, he started out as a Wage Hour Investigator in White Plains, New York and transferred to Las Vegas where he handled some of the most complex cases for the agency.
Rich was so successful as an investigator, he was promoted to the ranks of management as the Assistant District Director in the St. Louis, Missouri. While there, Richard quickly became in charge of the entire office, having to take on a more prominent role in the absence of the Director.
This success gave Richard much notoriety and he was soon recruited away to work for the Walmart Corporation in Arkansas as a leader in their Human Resource Department.
After a short stint, Richard knew his heart was with protecting American workers and he returned to the Department of Labor as a manager in the San Francisco, California office. Once again, Richard's hard work and keen knowledge of the law was recognized by upper management, and he was selected to be the Regional Director of Enforcement overseeing legal and enforcement issues in the offices in the Western Region.
As the Regional Director of Enforcement, he was known for his knowledge of the law and finding a way to settle very complex cases impactfully and efficiently. This success was recognized by regional and national leadership in the agency and Richard was appointed to the position of Deputy Regional Administrator.
As the Deputy Regional Administrator, Rich was no longer just helping with enforcement issues, but he now supervised staff in the Western Region. During his tour as the Deputy Regional Administrator, Richard launched many projects and programs that are known as the most creative and innovative in the country.
Richard's contributions to the Department of Labor impacted the entire country and made life better for America's workforce. Richard considered his work colleagues' family and always treated everyone with kindness and respect.
America is truly a better place because Richard Longo was a true public servant.
Rich's renal cell cancer was discovered early in 2021 which led to the removal of the cancer, the kidney and the adrenal gland. It had been a constant battle of worry, scans and medications ever since. He enrolled in a clinical trial at the beginning of this year. He was the first patient to receive the new one-time treatment at the City of Hope. He developed complications immediately and it had been a constant battle against the side effects of the treatment ever since. He succumbed to the side effects in October 2024, glad that his experience will help future patients undergoing the same treatment.
Throughout his fight, he continued to work, exercise at the gym, and enjoy life to the best of his ability. He even went fishing in Michigan. He loved bass fishing, specifically small mouth bass. However, he would fish anywhere and anything. Wherever he traveled for vacation or even work, fishing was part of the itinerary.
He was always moving. He was a handyman around the house but during the pandemic he did a lot more. He played softball, football and basketball besides lifting weights about 4 times a week. His latest sport was basketball where he met a lot of his basketball friends here in California.
For all his friends, coworkers and family, he tried to be generous and supportive. He loved to spend time with the kids when they wanted to play sports, especially when they were younger. Even though he traveled more as they grew older and they saw less of him, he will try to be encouraging. When Rosie played basketball at school, he bought a basketball hoop for the back yard. When Joey was cross country running, he was there running with him. Even though Tori did not play sport at school, he was there when they wanted to play board games. When Vivian was going back to school to obtain her master's in nursing, he was there.
He is loved and survived by his wife, Vivian, his three children, Rosie, Joey, and Tori, and his brother, Eddie.
The funeral will be held at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Funeral in Lafayette, California. In lieu of flowers please donate to any cancer research organizations such as the City of Hope. There will be a virtual option available for those unable to travel.
All funeral services will be held at Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Funeral Center, 1965 Reliez Valley Rd., Lafayette, Ca 94549, November 23, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. for visitation, 11:30 a.m. Funeral Liturgy, with reception to follow.