“It was, during the last couple of years, an extraordinarily difficult time to be a city manager in Long Beach and virtually everywhere else in government in the U.S., since we faced the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression,” Moriarty said. “He was juggling, trying to hold the line on taxes — homeowners and residents were already facing difficult economic challenges — but at the same time, he was faced with the pressure of drops in revenues due to the massive downturn in the economy.”

Theofan learned that he had lung cancer about two months ago, Moriarty said. He had been receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“I think the one thing that stands out is that he really loved his wife, Gale, and his son, Henry,” Moriarty said. “He also treated the city’s workforce with fairness and equity. And while he had a myriad of high-level jobs, he loved being city manager; he loved the day-to-day interaction with the public and with people who were adversaries. And it was out of good, honest sincerity that he loved that job more than any other.”