Anatoly Alexandrovich "Andy" Longinow's Obituary
Anatoly Alexandrovich (Andy) Longinow was born in Zhitomir, Ukraine, in 1933. He, his sister Tamara and his parents, Alexander and Eugenia, fled Stalinist forces during World War II and stayed in refugee camps in Germany until the war’s end. They were accepted into the United States in 1947 and settled on Chicago’s south side under the care of Andy’s father-in-law, who owned a tailor shop.
Andy attended Hyde Park High School and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. The U.S. Army enlisted him, and he became a naturalized citizen of the United States during boot camp training in Kansas. Andy joined the Seventh Cavalry and was deployed to Korea and then Japan during the Korean War. He earned the rank of Sergeant before being honorably discharged.
During his time in Japan, Andy’s sister urged a student nurse named Lillian (Lil) Tapia to write to him. She did. He eventually asked for a photograph of her, and when she complied, their long-distance romance began. They were married the year Andy graduated from Valparaiso University on the G.I. Bill with a degree in Civil Engineering. Lil, meanwhile, had earned her R.N. degree from the St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Chicago.
Michael, their first child, was born in 1960. Their second two, Nicholas and Theodore, were born eight minutes apart in 1963. The Longinows settled in Oak Park, where Andy had easy access to the El and his job as a civil engineer at IIT Research Institute (IITRI) near Comiskey Park. Andy was a nationally recognized expert in structural dynamics and the durability of bridges and buildings during catastrophic events such as earthquakes, severe winds, or bomb blasts. His research was published in nationally prominent engineering journals. Andy earned a Master of Science degree, then a doctorate, both at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and taught engineering at IIT and Valparaiso University. He is survived by his sister Tamara, his wife Lillian, his three sons Michael (Robin), Ted, Nick (Cheryl), eight grandchildren Christopher (Tanya), Joshua (Allie), Hope, Ben (Nicole), Sarah (Jonny), Matt (Miriam), Calista, Dalton, and 10 great-grandchildren.
Andy loved his family and shared his passion for travel, fine dining and literature with them. He was ever generous, ever forgiving, ever hopeful and ever eager to grasp life in any path it provided him. He pursued his Savior, Jesus Christ, from an early age and throughout his life. He fought the good fight, finished his race, and at the last stood up from his bed and stepped into the outstretched arms of Christ, from Whom he received the promised crown of righteousness. He rejoices in Glory, and waits for us alongside his parents, his grandfather and all the Saints, for the time when it has been promised that (Rev 21:3)
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man,
and He will dwell with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’
and there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away.”
A celebration of life service will be held at 9:30 AM on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Christ Episcopal Church in River Forest, Illinois. Rev. Peter Campbell will be officiating the service. A committal service with military honors will follow at Noon on Saturday at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois. A second visitation will be 10 am -11 am on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dayton. A celebration of life service will immediately follow at 11 am on May 19 at the church, followed by a luncheon. Conner & Koch Funeral Home of Bellbrook, Ohio, is serving the family. Condolences to the family may be made at www.connerandkoch.com.
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