A very touching tribute even if you have no involvement with Montfort.
Arrangements for Dan, funeral tomorrow January 3rd. - Dan Brusstar, some pictures and arrangements
December 30, 2021
Dear Montfort Academy Family,
As 2021 comes to a close, we must report the sad news that on Christmas Day The Montfort Academy lost a very dear friend. Dan Brusstar was a trustee of Montfort for many years before moving to Pennsylvania three years ago. He and his wife Kathy were among the very first supporters of The Montfort Academy more than twenty years ago, even when it was still just an idea. The Brusstars believed so strongly in Montfort that they sent their three children Joseph, Suzanne, and Mary to the Academy. Dan and Kathy were also very generous financial contributors to Montfort. We laughed at every gala auction because Dan would buy up everything, especially paintings. Kathy would always say, "But we have no space on the walls anymore." Yet Dan would buy and buy more. And then a few days later, Kathy would show up at the school and donate it all back to Montfort! Dan was also fearlessly pro-life. Often he would contribute funding for the bus to take our students to the annual March for Life. He also was a supporter of Chris Slattery's Expectant Mother Care.
I depended on Dan's wise advice and counsel, especially on academic matters. He was passionate about the textbooks we used, especially for history and science. In his quiet and soft way, he wanted to make sure there was no historical revisionism and that all texts espoused a Catholic world view especially on moral matters.
Many years ago when Dan was first sick, I gave him a small second class relic of Padre Pio, a piece of a handkerchief that once belonged to Padre Pio and which a spiritual daughter of Padre Pio had given to me. He fought his illness hard and recovered. One evening at his home, about four years ago, he said he believed that the relic helped him get better. The entire Montfort faculty and student body prayed for Dan, too, especially on September 6, 2017, the first day of school that year, when he underwent important surgery. It was successful. Dan was a deeply Catholic and faithful man, husband, father, and friend.
Dan knew how to bring people together, too. His passion about his faith was contagious, and many, many people seeking to lead a good life gravitated towards him because he was a great example of a virtuous man. His children describe him as an "awesome" father. Many long-lasting friendships came into being because of Dan's humble example.
We will miss Dan and his soft gentlemanliness greatly. Dan was a cherished son of Suzanne and the late William Brusstar; a devoted brother of John, Greg, Mary Beatrice, Tom, Matt and the late Chuck Brusstar. He also leaves behind many colleagues at the CME Group, where he had worked for fourteen years, most recently at as Senior Director of Energy Research and Product Development. Prior to that he worked at the New York Merchantile Exchange.
The Brusstars invite relatives, friends, and colleagues to Dan's funeral Mass at 11 a.m., Monday, January 3, 2022 at St. Anne’s Chapel on the grounds of National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. A visitation will also be held Sunday evening, January 2, 2022 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Reed and Steinbach Funeral Home, 2335 Lower State Road, Doylestown.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Dan’s name may be made to: Expectant Mother Care, P.O. Box 134, Bronx, New York 10470 or: Good Counsel Homes, 600 Meadowlands Pkwy, Suite 251, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094.
Eternal rest grant unto Dan Brusstar, and may Perpetual Light shine upon him. May the Divine Assistance always be with us, and may all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace, Amen.
Sincerely,
Richard Greco, Jr.