Betty Ann Bruno

Betty Ann Bruno of Buford (formerly of Snellville) died at peace with God and her life on February 21, 2020. She was preceded in death by her husband, Vincent Bruno, and parents, Sara and LeBarron O’Bannon. She is survived by her children and their spouses, Deborah Ann Bruno (John) Betsill of Acworth, Dan Bruno (Beth Edwards) of Buford, and Barbara Ann Bruno (Frank Stilp), of Metter, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren (also known as The Angels) her brother, LeBarron O’Bannon, Jr., nieces, nephews and cousins, especially her beloved nephew David O’Bannon.

Betty Ann was born in 1925 in Gwinnett County, Georgia and was retired from Dekalb Community College where she worked as a library assistant. Her parents moved to Houston, Texas for her father’s work, but moved back to Georgia during the Great Depression. She spent the rest of her childhood living in Hapeville and East Atlanta, Georgia.

Like thousands of women during World War II, Betty Ann joined the war effort in 1943, working at the Atlanta Quartermaster Depot in Conley, Georgia. She started in the Mail Room and advanced to becoming typist and assistant to the secretary to the Commanding General. She also sold War Bonds during the employees’ lunch breaks. She met her future husband, Vincent Bruno, who was from New Jersey and assigned to Atlanta for training as an Army Medic. They married at Camp Hood Texas in August of 1943 and she moved with him for his various assignments in Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky and New Jersey. When he deployed to the European Theater, she returned to Atlanta and worked with the Lend-Lease Department typing Bills of Laden to ship lumber to Russia. She worked there until the war ended and was then sent to Mobile, Alabama to route lumber back to its point of origin in the U.S. After the war, Betty and Vinny settled in Jersey City, N.J and began to raise their family. In 1959, their life together took them back to Georgia where Betty Ann was reunited with her beloved family.

Betty Ann and Vinny had many things in common but first and more important was their Catholic faith and love of God and His teachings. This provided a foundation for living and raising a family. Their children and grandchildren benefited from their love and sacrifice and the influence of God’s teachings on their lives. She was a “5-star Mom”, supporting her children and grandchildren in their personal and professional pursuits. Betty Ann deeply loved her extended family, that included many aunts, uncles and cousins. She also loved the many friends whom she met along the way. After Vinny died in 1983, she continued caring for her mother Sara, who had lived with the family since their return to Georgia and who passed away in 2001. Her favorite hobbies were reading, walking, gardening, bird watching and traveling. She loved dessert, especially if it was chocolate. She was especially proud of her ancestors and traveled to Ireland where she was able to see first-hand where they had come from. She was extremely fond of going to the beach and spent many happy times with her children and grandchildren on the South Carolina coast.

Betty Ann saw incredible changes in her life and was one of many who made up the Greatest Generation. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have been truly blessed by her love and are so grateful for having her for so long.

Good-bye and rest in peace, Betty Ann.

An interment and memorial reception will be held at Eternal Hills Funeral Home and Memory Gardens in Snellville on Saturday, March 21, 2020 . In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Betty’s honor to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, Georgia Chapter at 2050-C Chamblee Tucker Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30341 or at https://svdpgeorgia.org,