Joan A. Bruno

1946 - 2018

Joan A. Bruno

Cherry Hill - Joan A. Bruno, a longtime educator in and resident of Cherry Hill, passed away on September 1, 2018 in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. She was 71 and had waged a courageous battle against multiple bone cancers and congestive heart failure for the past several years.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., born Oct. 4, 1946, Joan Angela Bruno was the eldest of two daughters of Pasquale and Viola Verdi Bruno. The family relocated to Cherry Hill when Joan was a young girl.

Joan earned a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph College, Emmitsburg, MD and subsequently earned several master's degrees. She taught business at Cherry Hill High School East for more than 40 years and served as a class advisor.

For many years, Joan was the driving force behind the New Jersey Junior Miss Pageant, reaching out to young women across the state and never forgetting a contestant's name or her year of participation. Some of her happiest times were spent at her summer home in Ocean City, N.J., where she enjoyed reading and appreciated the sight and sounds of the sea.

A loyal supporter of the St. Joseph College Alumnae Association, Joan attended milestone reunions every five years since graduating in 1968. In April, she fulfilled her ardent wish to attend the 50th reunion of her class, rearranging her cancer treatment schedule so she could be with some of her closest friends. "We were all aware of Joan's struggle, how long she had been suffering, and how important it was for her to make it to our 50th reunion," said class secretary Mary Anne Kelly. "There was no happier person at the reunion than Joan Bruno, and you see that in her smile in every picture from that weekend."

Joan was predeceased by her parents and, on March 19, 2018, by her sister Karen Bruno of New York City. She is survived by many loving cousins, especially Lorraine Romano of Staten Island, N.Y.

A Mass of Christian Burial was offered for Joan on September 8 in Christ Our Light Church, Cherry Hill, followed by Entombment in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Blackwood.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross or the American Cancer Society.

A memorial Mass will be offered at a later date in St. Athanasius Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., for the convenience of family members and friends in the New York metropolitan area.