Gerlando Bruno

In Loving Memory Of

GERLANDO BRUNO

MAY 13, 1948, to APRIL 14, 2025

It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Gerlando Bruno on Monday, April 14th, 2025.  He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, at the age of 76 following a sixteen-year battle with prostate cancer.

Gerlando Bruno was born on May 13th, 1948, in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.  He was a loving husband, father, grand-father, brother, uncle, godfather, colleague and a friend to many. 

Gerlando is pre-deceased by his parents Alfonso and Rosa Bruno and his son Alfonso Gerlando Bruno.  Gerlando is survived by his wife Janice Bruno, his son Jean-Paul Bruno and his wife Rachel and their children, Alice Rosa and Thomas Patrick, his brother Steve Bruno and his children, Anthony, Chelsea and Megan Bruno, daughter-in-law Samantha Bruno, and many other family members.  Gerlando was formerly married to, and is survived by, Elaine DePauw, the mother of his children. 

In 1953 at the age of five, Gerlando and his mother immigrated to Vancouver, BC, Canada to join his father who had immigrated to Canada in 1951.  He often spoke of the culture shock he experienced at the age of 5 with the move to Canada from Sicily.  But by the time he was 9 his family had moved back and forth between Sicily and Vancouver two more times.  So, by the age of 9 he had sailed across the Atlantic three times, and perhaps this is where his deep interest of the transportation industries, passenger facilitation and immigration processes really began.

Once his parents returned to Vancouver in 1957, it was time to settle into school.  Gerlando attended many elementary and high schools in the lower mainland and graduated from Tupper in 1967 and then went onto SFU. 

From 1970 to 1974 he travelled extensively, including a grand tour of Europe with his best friend Enzo D’Angelo.  He worked a variety of random jobs, including restaurants and pizzerias, making enough money to finance his travels.

Then, in August/September of 1974, after discussing his future and what he would venture to do next, a friend who was working for Transport Canada suggested he apply for a six-month term job opening with Transport Canada.  The position was to conduct cost benefit analysis for community airports.  He admitted that he knew nothing about cost benefit analysis and economics, but his friend was confident and told him he was a smart guy, and he should just read a few books on economics, and he would be fine.  So as advised, Gerlando went to the library at UBC to read some books on economics and cost benefit analysis.  With no surprise, he had a successful interview and was hired for the position.  With that, his 50-year career in the aviation/transportation industry began.

After his airport career with Transport Canada, he went on to be Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Planning for the newly created Vancouver Airport Authority in 1992. During this period with the Airport Authority, Gerlando played a major role in advocacy efforts that led to the Canada-U.S. Open Skies Agreement in 1995, In-Transit Preclearance, Transit Without Visa, and CANPASS.

In 1997 Gerlando lead the efforts to turn the Marketing department of the Vancouver Airport Authority into a subsidary called YVR-VISTAS.  Then at the end of 1998 he successfully lead the employee buy-out of YVR-VISTAS to found the InterVISTAS Consulting Group, a strategic aviation, tourism and transportation consulting firm.  He was Chairman and CEO of the InterVISTAS Consulting Group from 1997 to 2013.  While at InterVISTAS, he was actively involved in the 2001 Canada-U.S. Preclearance Agreement, co-authored the Perimeter Clearance Strategy in 2002, and worked on a number of airport border and security initiatives, including NEXUS, and Automated Border Clearance (ABC).

In April 2013, Gerlando returned to the Vancouver Airport Authority and served as Vice President, Federal Government Affairs until 2020. 

In early 2018, Gerlando founded the Beyond Preclearance Coalition, which was re-branded and incorporated as the Future Borders Coalition in April 2020, he then served as Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Coalition until March 2022.

Gerlando most recently was a Strategic Advisor to the Vancouver Airport Authority and a member of the Future Borders Coalition Advisory Board.  Prior to his retirement from the Airport Authority, he was Executive Advisor to the CEO from October 2020 to March 2022.

Througout his career, Gerry served on the board of a number of organizations including Tourism Vancouver, Tourism BC, the British Columbia Aviation Council, the International Association of Airport Executives-Canada, and the Prince Rupert Port Authority.  Prior to his retirement in early 2022, he also served as an Advisory Board Member of the Woodrow Wilson-Canada Institute, Advisory Board Member of the International Aviation Waste Management Association, and Board Member and Secretary-Treasurer of the Vancouver International Maritime Centre.

Gerlando was an Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) and held a Bachelor of Science Degree (Marketing Major) from The University of The State of New York,  and an MBA in International Management from Asia Pacific International University.

Gerlando had many favorite pastimes, he was an avid reader and had an encyclopedia of a mind for maintaining many historical facts.  He loved writing poems and in his last year he was writing his memoire and a book on his 50 years in the aviation and transportation industries.  He wrote a book on the Bruno Family Saga to capture the many stories of his childhood and earlier years growing up in Sicily and moving back and forth between there and Canada.  He loved to travel whether it was for business or pleasure, and it was always an adventure to travel with him.  He always enjoyed a nice meal with a fine Italian wine followed by an Amaro.  Of course, soccer was a priority, and his fanatic need of espresso, San Pellegrino and eggplant remained a reality right through to the end of his life.

Adorably, it was Gerlando’s sweet and unconditional love of his grandkids, Alice and Tom that eclipsed everything and everyone else in his life.  He was thrilled to be “Nonnu” and this was his most treasured and favorite role and title.

During his last year, in April and May 2024 Gerlando was able to take one last trip to Sicily with his wife Janice, his brother Steve and son Jean-Paul to see family and friends.  It was a very special trip that Gerlando and his family were grateful to have been able to make together.   During the trip Gerlando needed a transfusion and so he even spent 24 hours in a hospital in Agrigento, which is where he was born. 

The Bruno family is eternally grateful to Doctor Martin Gleave and medical staff of the Vancouver Prostate Centre and the BC and Surrey Cancer Centre’s for their amazing support, compassion and continued encouragement during our 16-year battle against prostate cancer.

As well, our hearts are full with immense gratitude and thankfulness for the many teams of doctors, medical and non-medical staff working in emergency, surgical and acute care, administrative staff, and custodial staff at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, BC. In particular the teams on 6 North, your consistent professionalism while carrying out your duties with kindness, empathy and compassion under several difficult circumstances over this past year, truly demonstrated you are all really best in class. The Bruno family thanks you for that and for your enduring friendships.

Finally, on March 24th, 2025, Gerlando made the decision to commit his life to Christ and chose to accept and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was raised from the dead for his sake. Gerlando was at peace and very happy with his decision and it has been a great comfort to the family in his final days to know his heart and soul were at peace.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

—John 3:16

May the Peace of God be with you Gerlando.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to be made to the Vancouver Prostate Centre: https://vghfoundation.ca/give/prostate-centre-website Or to Peace Arch Hospital Foundation: https://www.pahfoundation.ca/about-pah-foundation/