By Hector Flores
³His legacy speaks for itself,² Rothman said. ³The number of current and past Key Club members present during the wake and Monday¹s service speaks volumes about what Cummo meant to the high school students in East Meadow.²
Cummo¹s funeral was held on Monday morning at St. Frances De Chantel church in Wantagh, and he was buried at Pinelawn Cemetery in East Farmingdale.
Cummo, a 25-year Kiwanis Club member and past president, served as the liaison between the club and East Meadow High School¹s Key Clubs ‹ the high school version of Kiwanis. He died July 5, at age 65, of complications from cancer treatments.
Peter Mancuso, past president of the East Meadow Kiwanis Club, said that Cummo was dedicated to children and saw the club as a perfect vehicle for kids to learn the value of citizenship and community service. ³He practiced what he preached, and was a mentor to the Key Club and protected their interests,² Mancuso said. ³He also made sure that the members were provided with proper involvement so it would lead to their forward development as adults.²
Mancuso added that Cummo could be very blunt and outspoken at times, but he made sure that local children received quality attention, interest and financial support. ³The club had set the level of scholarships at $2,000,² Mancuso said. ³The number didn¹t take into account inflation and change in costs. It was Bob who sought to increase the amount to $6,000.²
In addition, Mancuso said, Cummo was extremely knowledgeable about Kiwanis Club matters. ³He was very active at the state and international level,² Mancuso said. ³He was the most knowledgeable person on the subject of the Kiwanis. He was also the biggest cheerleader to anyone who gave their time to the club. But if you weren¹t, he was quick to tell you that.²
Dr. Alan Alterman, outgoing East Meadow Kiwanis president, called Cummo¹s passing a tremendous loss to the club. ³Bob was the oldest living ex-president who regularly attended meetings,² Alterman said. ³He was the type of individual presidents look up to. Every year he would meet with the incoming club president and would help them plan the club¹s activities for that year.²
Alterman said that although Cummo was rough around the edges, he felt honored that Cummo had helped him through his year as president. ³He always took Kiwanis serious,² Alterman said. ³He wanted to make East Meadow Kiwanis shine, and its members remember to always serve the community and its children.²
Cummo, who was born in 1941, grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He married his former wife, Rosemary, in 1964, and moved to East Meadow in 1976. He worked for Chemical Bank until his retirement in 1994.
In addition to his former wife, Cummo is survived by his mother, Anne; a brother, Stephen; three children, Dianne Longosono, David and Daniel; and two grandchildren, Christina Longosono and Joseph Cummo.
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