Bill Bruno Made An Impact On Many For His Kindness And Caring

Bill Bruno’s obituary highlights a lifetime of achievement as an educator, coach, athletic director and most recently assistant director of the NJSIAA over a remarkable 45-year career.  What it does not tell is how liked, respected and admired he was which is why his passing over the weekend at age 68 in the hospital leaves a huge void in the lives of so many.

It is somewhat ironic that a man with such a giant heart was let down by his in the end and while his passing comes way before his time should have been up it does not extinguish the flame on a life well lived…Bill Bruno covered a lot of ground.

Many in the Shore Conference are well aware of Bill’s contributions on so many levels during his tenures at Manalapan High School, CBA (his alma mater), Asbury Park, Pinelands, Marlboro, Howell, Brick and Brick Memorial.  I can tell you that in every stop he was a positive influence on students, athletes and staff and left it a little better then when he arrived.

It is what some don’t know that has left a lasting impression on me and why I will always think of him with nothing but fondness.  More so than any other athletic administrator I have ever known Bill understood the media and its need to get information in a timely fashion.  I can’t tell you how many times I went to him even if it was something that he was not directly involved in. However I knew he would respond and help if he could, even if it was something off the record.  He was simply someone who understood that to do a job you needed the facts.

Bill worked tirelessly on behalf of Track & Field which was among his many passions along with Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, The Who and his family.  To his wife Jeannette, sons Kyle and Eric, stepsons Cole and CJ (Alicia) and his four brothers and sisters please know that he left a legacy that will last forever.

Services will be held on Wednesday from 1-4pm and 6-8pm at the Buckley Funeral Home in Asbury Park with a funeral mass on Thursday in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Asbury Park.