Lombardo, a World War II Army veteran, retired from Barnard in 1988 after a 19-year career in education. Following his retirement, he volunteered for Little Sisters of the Poor, Big Brothers and Literacy Volunteers.

Former neighbor Jon LeBlanc said, "When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, my Henry Barnard Elementary School principal moved next door. Scary even for a little "goodie-goodie" like me. A Brooklyn native (and Dodgers fan), he and his sons taught me how to play bocce, Association football and (my favorite) stoopball. Two years later, when David Cote and I met "after school at the bike rack" on consecutive days, he brokered the peace by reasoning with us as "men." I know anybody who went to Henry Barnard from 1970 to 1990 will remember Mr. Lombardo in the cafeteria leading the whole school in song, especially his favorite, "Mairzy Doats" (our favorite part, "A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?")."