James Alton Bruen Jr.

1941 - 2025

BORN

1941

DIED

2025

About

Duke University

James Bruen Obituary

James Alton Bruen, Jr.
07/23/1941 - 04/07/2025
On Monday April 7, 2025, James Alton Bruen Jr. ("Jim") passed peacefully in his longtime San Francisco home at the age of 83, surrounded by three generations of loved ones. After a years-long struggle, he succumbed to his battles with Parkinson's Disease and prostate cancer.
Jim was born in Washington, D.C. to Alice Orton and James Alton Bruen Sr. He grew up with his parents and his sister Helen Elizabeth ("Bliss") in the Takoma neighborhood. He was an extremely bright student and went on to graduate from Duke University and the University of Texas at Austin Law School.
After law school, Jim moved to San Francisco and started a law practice, initially specializing in defending conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. Jim fell in love with the spirit of California and reveled in the joys of San Francisco in the sixties and seventies. Along with his partners he established the firm Bruen, Kaufman & Hatfield, where he met his future wife and the love of his life, Virginia Van Zandt. In later years Jim joined a group of attorneys at 240 Stockton Street overlooking Union Square, where he built a successful practice helping small businesses thrive and grow. A brilliant and dedicated advocate, Jim built a legacy of trust, excellence and admiration with his clients and all those who worked with him.
Jim and Virginia, affectionately called "Ginger" by Jim, raised two sons, Justin and Jonah, in the West Portal home they shared for 44 years. Jim was a devoted and caring husband, father and grandfather and was immensely proud of his sons and eight grandchildren. He was also very close with his nephews, David and Sam.
Jim was filled with joie de vivre, gifted with boundless energy and exceptional athleticism, and enjoyed skiing, handball and hiking into his late 70s. He and Ginny loved to travel – especially exploring Europe, road tripping across the country, and ski trips to Utah with their family. Jim enjoyed the outdoors, keeping a beautiful garden in his backyard and going on frequent backpacking trips to Yosemite. At 73, he hiked the 106-mile Tour du Mont Blanc, traversing the Alps of Italy, Switzerland and France.
Jim faced his diagnoses with courage and his characteristic optimism. He was kind, patient, honest and decent and was dearly loved by his family and his many, many friends who will sorely miss him. He had a wonderful wit and sense of humor, and intellectual curiosity that kept him reading and learning into his sunset years.
Jim was predeceased by his parents, Alice and Jim Sr., and his sister, Bliss. In addition to his wife, Virginia, Jim is survived by his two loving sons, Justin (Deyanira) and Jonah (Nadine), his eight loving grandchildren, Virginia (Nolan), Johannes, Valentin (Brenna), João, Ventura, Paul, Noah and Gabriel, and his devoted nephews, David (Pam) and Sam (Walker).
Special thanks to his caregiver, Cheryl, his eldest granddaughter, Virginia, and her partner, Nolan, who gave Jim much love, comfort, and companionship toward the end of his life.
A celebration of Jim's life is planned for the near future. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Doctors Without Borders or The Sierra Club. For more details, please email [email protected].

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on May 18, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for James Bruen

4 Entries

Valentin Van Zandt

May 20, 2025

Papa (Jim) always set such an amazing example for me and the rest of my family. He was the most patient person I´ve ever known, and always treated everyone around him with kindness and respect regardless of their differences. I knew I could always turn to him for anything at all and he would really listen and give me smart and helpful advice. I strive to be like him when I´m older in many many ways.

I will always cherish the memories from our wonderful road trips to enjoy the outdoors of Utah and Lake Tahoe. I´ll never forget the day when my Nana (Virginia) and Papa (Jim) made me sing El Paso by Marty Robbins over and over again in the backseat of the car until I knew all the lyrics just as well as they did. Papa not only taught me how to ski, but he taught me how to navigate this daunting world with curiosity, humility, and courage to explore the unknown.

Papa and I have the same birthday, July 23rd. We always did something special to celebrate our birthdays together every year, and I´ll always think of July 23rd as our special day. On the day he passed away, I vowed to always have a moment of silence and a toast for him on all the future birthdays I´ll now be celebrating for the both of us. I love you Papa and I´m forever grateful to have known you.

Love,
your grandson Valentin Van Zandt

Virginia Van Zandt

May 19, 2025

Jim was a wonderful grandfather to me for my entire life. My siblings, cousins and I call him Papa. At almost 27, I feel extremely grateful to have been able to know Papa into my adulthood. Papa had a gentle demeanor, a great sense of humor, and a quiet wisdom. He would often respond to my questions with a joke when I was growing up. He made me laugh whenever I spoke to him. He always gave me great advice. I miss him very much and always will.

Papa supported me through many stages in my life. He was always genuinely interested in hearing about my classes when I was in elementary, middle and high school, and we´d talk at length about various subjects during Tuesday night dinners with Nana. When I went to college, Papa and I bonded about Greek life and the political science and history classes I was taking. When I moved to Washington D.C. for my first post-grad job in journalism, he was so proud of me and happy I would get to know the city where he grew up.

I was lucky enough to take annual ski trips to Utah with Nana and Papa. We had some of the best times driving back and forth through the desert and the mountains, singing along to their favorite country Western songs. Papa taught me to ski as a toddler. Soon, we were skiing down steep mountains together, which he was able to do into his late 70s. He inspired me to connect to Mother Nature - he was a backpacking aficionado and loved the great outdoors, especially Yosemite. I hope to take some of his backpacking gear out there soon in his honor.

Papa taught me a great many things, including how to drive when I was a teenager. When I decided to get a manual Mini Cooper that I didn´t know how to handle yet, he taught me how to drive a stick shift. He was patient and kind in every situation (which is especially hard to do when you are teaching a teenage girl how to drive a stick in San Francisco).

Papa taught me to be confident in myself and to be adventurous in life. When I was planning a trip to Europe with my friends in college, he was the first family member I told. He was very happy for me, and told me that I was right to prioritize such things. That this is the time in life to spontaneously travel, and that the trip would enrich my worldview. I went, and he was right. I will be inspired by his intellect, adventurous spirit, and joie de vivre for the rest of my life.

Papa, I will always love you and miss you. I am so grateful to have had such a loving, sweet and admirable grandfather. I am very thankful I moved back in with you and Nana last year. I hope and pray I get to see you again in another lifetime. With so much love, Ginger Two.

Johannes Van Zandt

May 17, 2025

Papa (James Bruen) was a great man and a wonderful grandfather. We shared memorable road trips with Nana (Virginia Van Zandt) from California to Utah where we would ski together, many good meals, and many laughs. Papa helped me to become a better athlete by throwing me the football, a better musician by helping to fund my guitar lessons, and a better person by setting a good example as a strong, stoic, and yet gentle and caring man.

Perhaps the strongest impact that Papa had on my life was that he helped to impart upon me a love of wisdom, by engaging in serious discussions with me about the nature of reality as well as lending and giving me some very interesting and provocative books (`A Separate Reality´ by Carlos Castaneda and `The Farther Reaches of Human Nature´ by Abraham Maslow come to mind).

Looking back, I can only feel a profound sense of gratitude for having known, loved, and been loved by such an excellent man.

Justin Van Zandt

May 16, 2025

Jim was a great father to me and I miss him very much. He gave me so much: a great childhood, a wonderful home, memorable trips to Utah, New York, Nicaragua, France and Italy.

He taught me so much about history, law, psychology, food, sports, and life in general. I'll always remember him taking me to North Beach and Little City and Capp's Corner for my birthdays. He helped get me through college at Cal and gave me helpful advice in many stages of life. He was a wonderful grandfather to my 5 kids.

I will always miss our long arduous walks and philosophical conversations, as he knew so much about many topics and was open minded and great to discuss ideas with. Jim inspired me by keeping in great shape -- skiing, playing handball, and backpacking the Tour du Mont Blanc into his 70s. He was hard to guard as a wide receiver at 50. He recommended many interesting books (Camus, Orwell, Rand, Clavell, McMurtry, Salinger, Haley), gave me great advice, and made a true difference in my life.

He left a significant impact on so many lives. I will always remember and miss him. I hope to see him again someday in the afterlife. Jim, you will always be remembered by the loving family and friends you left behind. With much love... your son, Justin.

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