[TI] Joe Longo Sr. obituary

[Barbara Jenkins]

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/502076

Joe Longo: A life of food and family TheStar.com - GTA - Joe Longo: A life 
of food and family
Co-founder of grocery chain remembered as a `great merchandiser' who loved 
to celebrate

September 19, 2008
Dana Flavelle
Staff Reporter

Joe Longo Sr., merchandising whiz, family man, and Santa to scores of sick 
children, died on Monday after a lengthy illness.
He was 70 years old.
With brothers Tommy and Gus, Longo co-founded what is now one of the largest 
independent grocery chains in the Greater Toronto Area. It bears their last 
name.
"Joe was always one who loved life, who loved to celebrate, and it was 
always around food and family," said his nephew, Anthony Longo, who now runs 
the family business.
Joe Longo Sr. was also a great merchandiser, Anthony said. "He was the guy 
who pulled together the various produce that made the store appealing to 
customers. We have an award named after him for the best merchandiser in the 
company."
Born July 24, 1938, in Termini Imerese, Sicily, Longo came to Canada in 1951 
at the age of 13.
In 1956, he opened a fresh fruit and vegetable stand with his brothers on 
Yonge St. at Castlefield Ave.
The original store is long gone, but the company has since grown to a chain 
of 17 modern grocery stores from Burlington to Markham, plus an online 
delivery service.
Most of Longo's corporate expansion took place after 1982, when the second 
generation started entering the business. Until then, the company had three 
stores.
Seventeen members of the extended Longo family now work for the firm, 
including three of Joe's children and various in-laws.
Anthony, president and chief executive officer of company, said everyone in 
the family gets to know the business.
"I grew up stocking the shelves of our stores," he recalled at a news 
conference two years ago to unveil a new downtown location.
Still known for fresh fruit and produce, the compact stores - roughly 
one-third the size of a conventional supermarket - also carry a range of 
gourmet foods alongside everyday basics.
On Longo's corporate website, Joe is described as a man of passion and 
vision, with a sense of humour and a dedication to philanthropy.
For many years, he dressed up as Santa and entertained sick children at 
Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, Anthony recalled yesterday.
He loved car racing and owned vintage cars, including a 1986 Corvette.
Joe is survived by his wife of 42 years, Teresa, his four children, Rose, 
Jenny, Anthony and Joseph, and five grandchildren.
The funeral is to be held at 10 a.m. today at St. Raphael's Roman Catholic 
Church in Burlington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the 
Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital Foundation in Burlington.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Glen Oaks Memorial Gardens, in 
Oakville.