Marie Louise Belvedere Longo, 92, died peacefully at home in Ocala, Florida on September 8, 2022. She was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, Nicholas W. Longo of Newark, NJ (1921-2007), and three siblings, sister Rose Belvedere of Brooklyn, NY and her twin brothers, Joseph and Louis Belvedere, of Wichita Falls and Odessa, Texas. She is survived by her son Gerard Longo and daughter-in-law Maja Bartkova Longo of Pittsburgh, PA: daughter Maria Longo of Ft. Meyers, FL; daughter Regina Longo and son-in-law Jean-Philippe Voiron of Providence, RI; daughter Christina Longo of Jacksonville, FL; and her three beautiful granddaughters Stella, Mia, and Gia.
Marie was born in Brooklyn, NY, on October 28, 1929 to Joseph A. and Carmela M. Belvedere. The youngest of four children, she chose a life of service and graduated with an RN degree from St. Vincent’s School of Nursing in New York City in 1951, where she started in the labor and delivery department. Marie went on to work as an emergency department nurse at Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, NJ. Upon relocating to Ocala in 1984, Marie continued her career at Munroe Regional Medical Center where she served as a charge nurse in the ER until her retirement in 1995.
Marie remained active in retirement, working briefly in medical reporting, and continued to share her love for service and her creative gifts by knitting hundreds of hats for soldiers and cancer patients while volunteering countless hours at her parish, Our Lady of the Springs Catholic Church, in the bereavement and eucharistic ministries and as head of the food pantry.
Marie’s kindness, coupled with a playful personality and punctuated by her warm dimpled smile, was a blessing to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. She was a mentor to many, including several end-of-life caregivers, and her memory will continue to touch those who knew her and worked alongside her. She was loved by all and will be dearly missed.
A requiem Mass will be held for Marie at Our Lady of the Springs Catholic Church in Ocala, FL on Friday, October 28, 2022, at 2 PM, followed by a celebration of life reception in the parish hall. 4047 NE 21st St, Ocala, FL 34470.