Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno was laid to rest on Friday.

The long-time state senator passed away on Wednesday from a battle with cancer at the age of 91.

What You Need To Know

  • Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno was laid to rest Friday

  • Bruno made one last trip around the bases at the Hudson Valley Community College MiLB stadium named in his honor

  • A private funeral service was held in Loudonville

  • Bruno was driven past the state Capitol one last time as well

Joe Bruno was a fixture in Albany politics and was once one of the most powerful men leading the state Senate.

Before his funeral, Bruno made once last stop at the stadium dubbed “The Joe” in his honor.

Joe Bruno was well known for steering millions of dollars and government grants to Upstate New York.

The Minor League Baseball stadium at Hudson Valley Community College was named after the senator, and Bruno was able to make one last trip around the bases.

Scott DeLong attended Bruno’s last farewell at the stadium

DeLong, who lives with autism, says he was one of Bruno’s biggest fans.

“I became obsessed with him in a little bit of a sense,” DeLong explained. “My mom and one of my aides encouraged my obsession a little bit. I tried calling his office every day trying to speak to him.”

When Bruno found out about Scott, he took DeLong with him to throw the first pitch at “The Joe” and later signed a baseball for him to keep.

“It was a really nice thing he did for me and it’s a shame he is gone,” DeLong said pausing. “He was a great man.”

Mark Mitchell, vice chair of the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation, also stopped at the stadium to pay his respects.

“He operated from a position of principal,” Mitchell explained. “He was a principled person. And that’s so important and he set such a good example.”

Due to COVID-19, a private funeral service was held in Loudonville.

Stu Jones, Bruno’s attorney for his second federal trial, charges which he was convicted and later acquitted from, gave remarks first.

“It’s impossible to do justice to a life that spans 91 years,” Jones said.

Bruno’s son, Ken Bruno, also addressed the small group gathered at the church.  

“Whenever he could he would try to do what he could to help people,” Bruno remarked. “That’s just how he was made. That’s why he was put on this earth.”

Senator Jon Flanagan and former Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian both remembered Bruno as someone who fought for the working class.

“If you’re a kid and working for 50 cents on a night shift, that makes you think about real working men and women,” Flanagan said.

“The impact he had was more than just the large projects,” Tutunjian explained. “He had a lot of interactions with people and made their lives better.”

And for the very last time, Bruno was driven past the state Capitol, a place that will not soon forget the legacy he is leaving behind.

Bruno was laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.