Raymond Longhi
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Raymond Longhi, 67, a longtime resident of Mesa, Ariz., died on Nov. 5 when a private jet failed in its attempt at takeoff and hit the car Longhi was driving near Mesa Falcon Field Airport. He was killed instantly.
Longhi was raised in Yonkers, attending St. Anthony’s Elementary School and Stepinac High School in White Plains. After graduation, he attended the University of Arizona for two years before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. After graduation, he moved to Taiwan, living there for eight years and meeting his wife, Ada Tsai. They married in 1989 and started their family. While in Taiwan, he taught English to students of all ages, and taught himself Mandarin Chinese.
His sales work in the aviation industry brought him abroad for weeks and months at a time. For a few years he worked in Abu Dabi, flying back and forth to see his family in Mesa.
Longhi is survived by his wife, Ada; their son, Vincent (Samantha) of Anaheim, Calif.; their daughter, Lorraine, of Las Vegas; and his grandson, Charles Alexander Longhi. He is also survived by his mother, Rita Gerstle, presently of Shrub Oak and formerly of Yonkers; his sister, Lisa Sayegh, of Phoenix; his brother, Paul (Susan) of Las Vegas; his stepbrothers, Mark Gerstle (Sandra) of Palm Harbor, Fla. and Robert Gerstle (Doreen) of Yorktown; and his stepsister, Alice Beckman, of West Lynn, Ore. Additionally, he is survived by an aunt, Norma Lepore, of Montrose and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Longhi was predeceased by his father, Raymond Longhi Sr., his stepfather, Helmut Gerstle, and a stepsister, Helene Gerstle.
Services were held in Mesa, and a memorial mass will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 12:30 p.m.
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.