Mrs. Josephine "Jo" Brunjes

Mrs. Josephine Maltese Brunjes, 99, of Pittsfield and Lenox, passed away peacefully at her home at PineHill Assisted Living of Kimball Farms on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Born in New York City on May 1, 1924, the seventh of ten surviving children of the late Damiano (Thomas) and Antonina Maniscalco Maltese, she graduated from Julia Richman High School in Manhattan. As a young woman in New York City, Jo worked as an executive secretary for the Vanadium Corporation and other firms. On November 1, 1957 she married John W. Brunjes, former General Counsel of Berkshire Life Insurance Company (now Guardian), who predeceased her in 1995. After the birth of their two children, they moved in 1965 from their home in Queens to Pittsfield, where they lived for the remainder of both their lives. Jo loved raising a family in Pittsfield and enjoying life in the Berkshires, while always a New Yorker at heart. Over the years she volunteered for a variety of groups and organizations, among them the League of Women Voters and the Rosary Sodality of St. Teresa’s Roman Catholic Church, where she was a member of the choir and active parishioner until that parish closed in 2008. She and her husband John enjoyed Tanglewood and the theater and took classes together at BCC. Jo loved to travel; at the end of the Second World War, she traveled by herself on the SS United States to England and later with her sister and brother to Italy and France. With her husband, she visited the UK and Mexico, and after his death she cruised on the Queen Elizabeth 2 with her cousin, traveling to Scandinavia, Scotland, Portugal, and Spain. Always curious about the world and open to new ideas and experiences, in her nineties she joined a Torah study group at Congregation Knesset Israel. Jo also delighted in her home and was a gifted seamstress, knitter, cook, and a legendary baker. She was an avid reader who loved novels, word games, and the New York Times, which she read daily on her iPad almost until the day of her death. Possessed of a lively and self-deprecating sense of humor, Jo was far more formidable than her five-foot-tall frame would suggest: fiercely intelligent, never shy about expressing her opinion, and deeply interested in national politics, she always enjoyed discussing pressing issues of the day with family and friends. Jo was a loving and compassionate friend, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and neighbor. Loyal and devoted to her family and friends, she was a source of warm affection, wisdom, and comfort to all who loved and were loved by her. She is survived by her sister Anna Figliola; her stepdaughter Susan Haris of Seattle; son John Brunjes (Barbara Boyd) of West Hartford, CT and Port St. Lucie, FL; daughter Ann Brunjes (Peter Colombotos) of Bridgewater, MA; and grandchildren Nicholas (Kim) and Andrew Haris; Nina (Mark Hamalian), Olivia, and Julia Colombotos; and J. William and Abigail Brunjes, as well as many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Mrs. Josephine M. Brunjes will be Monday, November 6, 2023, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 11 am at St. Mark’s Church, celebrated by the Rev. Frank Furman, Administrator. Burial will be at a later date. Calling hours will be Sunday, November 5, 2023, from 12 pm to 2 pm at the Dwyer Funeral Home, 776 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. In lieu of flowers, donations in Josephine’s memory can be made to Planned Parenthood Federation of America in care of the Dwyer Funeral Home.

Mrs. Josephine "Jo" Brunjes

May 1, 1924 - November 1, 2023