Stephen A. Longo

Stephen Anthony Longo, 80, passed away at home on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 with Janice (Johnson), his wife of 41 years, by his side, following a difficult battle with myelodysplastic syndrome and dementia. He is survived by his children Rachael (Vincent) D'Angelo, Stephen (Jill), Amelia, Foster, and Gabrielle, as well as his sister Arlene Brown and grandchildren Shawn, Layla, Sarah, Cooper, Christopher, and Joseph.
Steve was born on April 7, 1943 to Ernest and Stella (Marre) Longo in Philadelphia, and raised primarily in the Lawncrest section of the city. He completed his elementary education at St. William's, followed by Cardinal Dougherty, and went on to study Physics, earning a B.A., La Salle University, 1965; a Masters degree from Lehigh University, 1967; and a Ph.D. from Notre Dame University, 1971
He began work collecting rags at age 5, and retired as professor of Physics and Computer Science at La Salle University, where he built the school's first routers and Web page server among other achievements. He served as Chair of the Physics Department from 1976 through 1980, and Director of Academic Computing from 1983 to 1995. Although he retired in 2018 at age 75 with Emeritus status, he continued to teach several courses each semester until December 2019.
He was active in the Philadelphia Area Computer Society (PACS), one of the largest user groups in the country, from its beginnings in the mid-1970s and served as the President from 1981 to 1994.
In 2009 Dr. Longo was named a Frank P. Palopoli Endowed Professor, in recognition of his work for scientific research in education. The Professor Stephen A. Longo, PhD, '65 Endowed Scholarship was established a few years ago by a former computer science student to honor his teaching and mentorship.
Steve maintained numerous lifelong friendships, from his group of friends from grade school to the colleagues at LaSalle that he'd known from his very first days of teaching up to the present. His academic pursuits were balanced with a variety of self-taught handyman skills - from painting to replacing windows installing siding, hardwood floors, roof decks and patio pavers. His hobbies included fixing and building anything in his house, keeping up with new IT trends, and asking when dinner would be ready.
He was a consummate storyteller and a baffling combination of miserly and deeply generous, turning off air conditioning and ceiling fans in the middle of sweltering Philly summer nights, yet supporting his children's education and passions without limit.
Stephen's services will be held at LaSalle University on Saturday, July 22 at 11:00 am in the DeLaSalle chapel, 1900 W Olney Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19141.
Donations may be made in his memory to:
the Professor Stephen A. Longo, Ph.D., '65 Endowed Scholarship at LaSalle University (https://give.lasalle.edu/give/421324/#!/donation/checkout?designation=187745
Select the fund as OTHER and in the comments include the "Longo Scholarship."),
or to the Dementia Society of America (https://dementiasociety.charityproud.org/donate)