Emidio Bruni, 88, died April 23, 2018 in Surprise, AZ due to complications related to Vascular Dementia. Emidio (Bill) is survived in life by his loving wife of almost sixty-seven years Loraine, his son Butch (wife Kim), his son David (wife Beth Ann), and five grandchildren Jason (wife Jamie), Jennifer (husband Joe), Stephen, Avery and Tayler, and six great grandchildren Arianna, Chance, Blake, JJ, Sarah, and Ethan. Emidio is also survived by three brothers, Archie, William (wife Sue), and Mario (wife Maria).
The only comfort that can be found in his passing is knowing that Emidio is in the arms of his loving father Archie, mother Frances, and sister Julia who have preceded him on the path to Heaven.
Bill was the first born and eldest son of Italian immigrants. Upon arriving in New York his father Archimede “Archie” made friends with Guglielmo and eventually married his daughter Vincenzina who was known as “Frances.” Archie and Frances settled in Ossining and had five children and eventually fifteen grandchildren. Bill met and fell in love with Loraine Turner of Peekskill. Bill enlisted in the United States Navy in November 1948 and served during the Korean War. He achieved the rank of Petty Officer Third Class or AM3. He was a both a technical expert and leader in his role as an Aviation Mechanic on the USS Midway. Bill and Loraine were married on June 3, 1951 after which they were stationed in Rhode Island until he was Honorably Discharged in October 1952 while receiving the U.S. Navy Good Conduct Medal.
After serving in the Navy Bill worked as a mason in the Hudson Valley area of New York State. He and Loraine have two sons who they raised in Ossining and later Mahopac, NY. Bill was very proud of the work they did on the house in Mahopac which included interior and exterior brick work as well as an epic retaining wall (still standing) that the entire family worked on including his son Butch and father Archie; and to the amazement of all even Loraine and young David pitched in! He also enjoyed years of fun and family ties with both Brunis and Turners while in New York. There are a lot of good stories and lots of laughs involving his good friends and brothers-in-law Harold Travis and Al Odell.
Bill and Loraine moved to Phoenix in 1979 where he continued to work in the construction industry. Whenever he picked up visitors at the airport he would point out which of the sky scrapers he had worked on as a window caulker. Hanging on the outside of those buildings took a lot of guts and grit, but that didn’t surprise anyone who new Bill. Over time, all but one of Bill’s brothers and sisters eventually migrated to Phoenix making Arizona the new hub of “the Bruni family from Ossining.” One of Bill’s greatest joys were his two trips back to Italy where he connected with cousins in both Catanzaro and Pantecagnano, Italy. He loved to call his cousins on the phone and speak “the old language” as they caught up on each other’s well-being.
Though he retired at age 62, Bill enjoyed many hobbies. He loved to hunt and fish and looked forward to the annual Elk hunting trip with his good friend Cary Kruse each fall. He loved finding and repairing old bicycles and had a thriving resale business when he lived in Phoenix. He also got his pilot’s license. He and his good friend Jack spent many hours flying all over the southwest. Bill even won several contests for “spot landing” a small Cessna. Once Bill and Loraine moved to Coyote Lakes his attention turned to playing more golf and he even started picking up golf balls, cleaning them and selling them back to the golf course. Bill made a lot of friends selling those golf balls and really enjoyed the industry of it all. Even with all those interests, anyone who knew Bill, knows that his top shelf hobby was that of managing a softball team. This started at Coyote Lakes and was probably the #1 reason he moved to Arizona Traditions. For years Bill and Loraine could be seen at the field just about every day the teams were playing whether he was coaching or not, he loved to be up at the ball field.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on May 11 at Surprise Funeral Care located at 16063 W. Bell Rd at 11 AM. Bill’s friends and neighbors are encouraged to join the family and continue the celebration at Portofino West located at 12851 West Bell Road starting at 12:30 PM.
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Love leaves behind more than death can ever take away!
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