Joseph Brunelli

Joseph Brunelli, 98 years old, died peacefully at home in Casper on September 10, 2025. During the last few years, his children reaped many blessings as they joined in the caregiving of their father. The rosary followed by a reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th at 4:30pm at Bustard & Jacoby Funeral Home, and the funeral Mass will be the following day, September 19th, at 10:30am at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, where he was a devout member, attending faithfully for 66 years.

Joseph was born on a farm near Weldona, Colorado on March 19, 1927 to immigrant parents Paolo Brunelli and Assunta Cappanera. He was the youngest of ten children and was raised on the family farm, growing up in a tenant farming family until his father bought a farm. He learned the lessons of farmers about independence—that with trial and error as well as a “can do” attitude, anyone can fix anything.

In his younger days, Joseph aspired to be a baseball player, with his hero being Joe DiMaggio, and was a noted athlete. He continued to love sports throughout his life, whether as an avid golfer or a football watching fan. He liked to keep himself fit and trim, and kept the same weight for much of his adult life, with a routine of lifting dumbbells, and even regularly walking 2 or more miles a day on a treadmill into his nineties.

As a U.S. Army infantryman (PFC) in World War II, he will be buried with military honors at Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery. Joseph served in the occupation of Germany as a medical corpsman towards the end of the war. His unit was then scheduled to be part of the invasion of Japan; and he felt the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan in 1945 probably saved his life.

A recipient of the new landmark legislation G.I. Bill, he received a BA in Education in 1953, and an MA in Educational Administration from Colorado State School of Education. In 1954 Joseph met the love of his life, Virginia Mary Murphy, who was in her first year of teaching in Weldona, and they wed in 1955, thus beginning their family adventure which included eight children. His 34 years as an educator began in Snyder, Colorado, and he retired from East Junior High School in Casper where he taught primarily social studies, civics, and history. A lover of all sports, he enjoyed coaching basketball, track, football, and baseball in his early career. He was a good carpenter and remodeled not only his own home but assisted in remodels of others’ homes. As a wood-worker, Joe delighted in crafting many keepsakes for his family: curio cabinets, cedar chests, dressers, tables, and more. Always one to stay busy, he began painting later in life, creating many paintings, including biblical scenes.

An avid learner and promoter of education throughout his life, Joseph was awarded numerous fellowships to attend summer school for teachers, including a summer’s study in Mexico City (history and culture of Mexico). Many summers were also enjoyed by the family on cross country vacations, introducing the children to significant historical and geographical landmarks, museums, national parks, and naval bases, even touring the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. And the family camped the entire way. The family regularly stayed at their “Lakeside” camp in Vermont, visiting the Murphy side of the family. As recently as 4 years ago, Joseph and two daughters made the road trek to and from Vermont, and as always Joseph, relying on his own internal compass, would direct his daughter as to which exit, lane and detour should be taken without ever using GPS. In later years, Joseph and Virginia also participated in many Elderhostels and travelled internationally, including trips to Russia, Israel, and one trip to Italy where he could understand the Italian being spoken around him, remembering it from his childhood.

Always a people person, Joe loved to talk and learn about new people—no one was a stranger to him for long, and above all, he loved family gatherings. He loved to wake in the morning and start the day with coffee and newspapers, completing at least one crossword puzzle, and usually ending the day with a game of Scrabble. He was lovingly called The Scorekeeper and was quite hard to beat. He always kept himself well informed about the news, following it closely, and discussed current issues, events, and people, right up to his passing.

He will be remembered as Dad, Papa Joe, and Pop-Pop and as the best pancake maker ever.

Joseph was preceded in death by his wife Virginia, son Paul, and daughter Johanna (Hanna). He is survived by his children, Stephanie Brunelli, Joseph Brunelli (wife, Meg Gallagher), Jennifer Saunders (husband, Carl), Julianne Owens, Cindy Dye (husband, Randy), son-in-law Ron Costel of the late Johanna Costel, and Cecily Brunelli (husband, Chris Propst). Joseph has 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.