Obituary of Bruno R. Ilibassi

On Monday, October 5, 2020, Bruno Ilibassi, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away at the age of 83. Bruno (Rino) Ilibassi was the epitome of the American Dream. He was born in a small town on the Istrian Peninsula, which is now Croatia. He lived there with his Mom during WWII, until his Dad, a released prisoner of war, was finally able to send for them from America. Bruno came to the United States at fourteen years old and saw his Dad for the first time in over twelve years. A few years later, he met a young girl named Alma Vosilla, who was born near his home town, at a dance in Astoria, Queens. They married on August 30, 1959 and quickly became a family with a son, John and a daughter, Debbie. Bruno was ambitious and a hard-worker. He never settled for mediocrity. When a technician’s job at Grumman seemed like a dead-end, he quit and started selling vacuum cleaners at Electrolux. Quickly, he became a top salesperson and was promoted to manage a branch. He had a gift for finding good talent and managing people. His work ethic was remarkable, and many successful people noticed. When a real estate property manager wanted to hire him, he decided to go at it alone. He raised money and bought his first building in 1972. From there, he grew a large portfolio of buildings in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Not only did he achieve financial success but he helped many people to better their lives along the way. This made him so proud. He was generous with everything—his time, his money and his love. As a younger man, he skied and played tennis. He took his children, and later his grandchildren, on many fabulous ski vacations. He joined a tennis league and won championships. Later, he got the “golf bug” and enjoyed playing the game with his friends and family very much. He hosted his entire office at his Tower’s Country Club member guests. Another passion was good food. He loved a great meal and a glass of Cabernet. He enjoyed the art of dining with family and friends. Bruno was always in search for that perfect cup of coffee. He also loved travelling the world with his wife, Alma, and enjoyed adventures to all of the seven continents. He is survived by his beautiful wife, Alma, his son, John and daughter-in-law Elsa, and his daughter Debbie Kucharczyk and son-in-law John. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, who he was immensely proud of—John Ross, Daniel, Nina, Madeline, Harry, Jenny, and Abigail–as well as his close friend and brother-in-law, Frank Cadeddu, niece, Diana Ruhl and nephew, Jeff Cadeddu. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bruno’s memory should be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.