Donald A. Brusa's Obituary
Donald Arthur Brusa – LODI – The man. The myth. The legend. Men wanted to be him, and golfers wanted to give him their handicaps. Donald Arthur Brusa, affectionately known as The Big Brusa, died on April 16, 2017. Don loved great music, old westerns, his wife, great food, his kids and grandkids, single malt scotch, and his uncanny ability to hit a birdie on a par 3 hole—not necessarily in that order. He hated coconut, noisy neighbors, bad food, liars, honey, cats, and how his Mac would never stay connected to the internet—not necessarily in that order.He was a storyteller, and you could be sure that his stories were true—without an ounce of hyperbole or a hint of exaggeration. Whether he told you about the time he “borrowed” a cop car from his unsuspecting police officer-friend in South San Francisco (where he grew up) or his myriad adventures with his many cohorts—most of whom began as childhood friends and remained so until his last days.Superman and John Wayne were his childhood heroes, and he was the hero for Patricia, his wife of 44 years, his daughters Tina and Karrie, his son Alan, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He served as daily inspiration for his brother, Bob, and sister, Lynda, and countless others with whom he interacted on a daily basis.Don was also great at selling (anything to anyone), grilling chicken and ribs, hitting long drives with backspin and clean landings on the fairway, overwhelming everyone with his endless positivity, and appreciating fine art. When it came to advertising specialties, Don was one of the best in the business… and he loved doing it.Don attended South San Francisco High School where he played football—and if you asked him, he played without a facemask—and graduated in 1958. After a tour in the United States Army, Don went to work in John’s Men’s Clothing Shop in South San Francisco—where he started his sales career. He could have flown to Alaska to sell ice and been successful, but he parlayed his sales experience in clothing and landed at California Trophy in San Francisco—where he found his business calling in advertising specialties.In August 1972, Don married the love of his life and high school sweetheart Patricia White, and moved to Newark California with his new wife Patricia and their three children Karrie, Alan, and Tina.Ever the entrepreneur, Don opened his own trophy and specialty advertising company in 1979 in Newark, CA—appropriately named Don Brusa Associates—which was a Bay Area mainstay for over 25 years. Don lived and worked by his own motto: “There’s is a lot of synthetics in the world theses days. I myself prefer quality.” Those words highlighted his approach to everything in his life and career: customers always came first, but not at the expense of quality—a requirement that was ever-present in both his personal life and business. That need for quality never left him, as demonstrated by the 25-inch, hand-casted metal loving cup that was a permanent fixture in his office. He felt it was a symbol of quality, and of his love for his job, family, and life. That passion for connection and quality never left him. As he told the The Argus Newspaper when they interviewed him about his life and business: “The loving cup will always be here,” and there it stood until the day came to move on to a well-deserved retirement.Don was many things to so many people: brother, cousin, nephew, friend, golf buddy, favorite trophy salesmen, uncle, boss, dad, grandfather. Whatever role Don played in people’s lives, they always knew one thing: They always got his very best.Don is survived by his children Tina and Alan, his grandchildren Eric, Stephanie, Drew, Jordan, Pierce, Olivia, his great-grandchildren Silas, Lily, and James, his brother Robert, his sister Lynda, and a wealth of extended family, friends, golf buddies, and business associates. The Big Brusa left an indelible mark on many lives. He is gone… but never forgotten. Papa: We miss you.
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