Thomas Bruno Sr. loved to play Santa Claus at Christmastime but didn’t need a red suit to be generous — he gave all year long.
Raised in Westerlo, Mr. Bruno died Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, at his home in Palm Coast, Florida. He was 79.

“He always wanted to help others, especially those in need,” said his daughter, Tamara Fisher. “Tom was very generous with his time and knowledge; he was always the first to help out someone in need,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Mr. Bruno was born on Feb. 5, 1936 in Washington, Pennsylvania. He spent the majority of his youth in Westerlo and attended Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools.

He was a proud veteran of the United States Navy, serving from 1953 to 1957.

“Tom was a vivid storyteller who would captivate his audience’s attention, sharing his life adventures,” his family wrote in a tribute. “Friends and family will always remember the story of the USS Knudson and the whale.”

“He was out to sea when his ship ran over a whale,” said Ms. Fisher. “He told everybody that story.” She said that, when her daughter, who is away at college, told her friends her grandfather had died, they asked, “Is he the one with the whale story?”

Ms. Fisher went on, “There were four stories he liked to tell. I heard them when I was 5. I’m 47 now, and the stories were the same, word for word, like he was reading from a script.”

Mr. Bruno worked for himself as a contractor and was “very handy” around the house, his daughter said. “My dad could fix anything and he loved to work.  He taught us to work hard in life.”

Mr. Bruno and his wife, Mary, raised three children, Thomas Jr., Anthony, and Tamara. Mr. Bruno relished his role as a parent.

“He was really dedicated as a father,” Ms. Fisher said. “He did a lot for us kids — coaching Little League, being a Boy Scout leader, serving as president of the Clarksville School PTA, helping backstage at dance recitals, taking the neighborhood kids for pizza.”

He also liked the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing, she said. “He taught us to fish,” said his daughter. “He loved living on the Hill,” she said of the Helderbergs.

One frequent piece of advice he gave his son and daughter was, “Don’t walk with your hands in your pockets.” His son had once been doing so and, when he tripped, he hurt his head on the pavement, requiring stitches, she said.

“He loved animals,” Ms. Fisher said. “He’d feed the birds and took care of stray animals.”

She concluded, “He taught us to be compassionate to animals and to people.”

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Thomas Bruno Sr. is survived by his wife, Mary (née Travis) Bruno; his children, Thomas Bruno Jr., Anthony Bruno and his wife, Loredana, and Tamara Fisher and her husband, Eric; his grandchildren, Michaela and Thomas Fisher, Anthony and Giuliana Bruno; his sister, Marlene Snyder and her husband, Randy Coon; his brother, Richard Bruno; and a host of nieces and nephews.

His brother, Harry Bruno, and his sister, Pat (née Bruno) Neal, died before him.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with his family on Sunday, Jan. 3, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Daniel Keenan Funeral Home at 490 Delaware Ave. in Albany. A prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Mourners may leave online condolences at www.danielkeenanfuneralhome.com.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer