Elvira Frances Bruno
Real Estate Broker and Business Owner

Chappaqua, N.Y. - Mrs. Elvira (Vera) F. Bruno, 83, of Chappaqua, passed away in the loving embrace of her family on Thursday, October 5, 2017. She was the beloved wife of the Robert F. Bruno, her passing occurring just one week shy of their 61st wedding anniversary.

Elvira was born in the Bronx on June 12, 1934, the daughter of the late Rosario and Antoinette D’Alessio. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1952 and soon thereafter was employed as Head of Claims at Railway Express in New York City. In high school, she was chosen to be most likely to become a fashion model. While still raising her four children, Vera re-entered the workforce part-time as a Real Estate Agent and soon after became the Owner and Principal of Howe & Sibley from 1972 until 2011. In 2011, she became an Associate Real Estate Broker at Houlihan Lawrence where she remained employed and actively listing and selling homes up to the present. Vera continued to be the go to broker for so many people in and around Chappaqua as she worked in partnership with her husband Robert.

Vera participated in volunteer work with the Chappaqua Twigs and the Chappaqua Neighbors Club, and she had deep faith and a long association with her church, St. John and St. Mary, where she had been a long time member in the Women’s Association. She was a member of Soroptimist International, a global volunteer organization working to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. When living in White Plains, she was an active member of the White Plains Women’s Club where she was active socially and philanthropically; it was where she first began building her extensive network of friends.

Vera is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Robert Bruno and her four children, Robert Bruno, Jr. (Sula), Russell Bruno, Rosemarie Bruno (Simon), Rachel Bruno Fitzpatrick and son-in-law Tony Fitzpatrick, along with her most beloved grandsons, James and Luke Fitzpatrick. She was predeceased by her parents, Rosario and Antoinette D’Alessio and her sister, Paula Cafarchio.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 10 a.m. at St. John & St. Mary Church, 30 Poillin Road, Chappaqua, followed by burial at Ferncliff Mausoleum, 280 Secor Road in Hartsdale, NY. Friends are asked to please meet directly at the Church. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, October 12th and Friday, October 13th, 2017 from 4 - 8 pm at the Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, 418 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY. To honor Vera’s memory, contributions may be made to Maryknoll, Fathers and Brothers in Ossining, NY or to the COPD Foundation at 641 S Street NW Washington, DC 20001.