Obituary of Howard "Richard" Longfellow

Howard “Richard” Longfellow passed on July 28, 2021 after a lingering illness. Richard was born October 19, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia to C. Cecil and Evelyn Longfellow who preceded him in death.

He was loved by his family and he was a devoted Cubs fan, and dearly loved football and country music. A major part of Richard’s work life was as a glass bottle maker machinist for Owens Illinois in Alton, Illinois and then Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years to Virginia L. Longfellow and their children: Jamie Ellis and her daughter Kennedy Ellis, of Largo, Florida; Lee Ann Blue and their family of Alton Illinois; Vivian Vatole and their family of Alton Illinois; Amy Heitzeg  and her family of Jerseyville Illinois; John Sebastian and his family of Benld, Illinois; Wendy Pruitt and her family of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Ellen Sebastian and her family of Juneau, Alaska.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date with close family members.

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making contributions to Shriner’s Children Hospital or Operation Smile in his name.