Obituary of Colleen Elizabeth Bruton

Colleen Bruton, Mother of Four, Democratic Volunteer, 49 Colleen Elizabeth Bruton, spouse of Reilly Tierney and mother of Maeve, Caoilinn, Jack and Fionn, died on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, at home surrounded by her family, after a courageous 3-year battle with breast cancer. A 12-year resident of Darien, Colleen was born on September 12, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from St. Xavier University. Her professional career centered on public service. She was the assistant Midwest regional administrator for OSHA, and also worked on Capitol Hill as a Congressional fellow for Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. While living in Washington DC, she met Reilly . They married in Chicago, and moved to Darien in 1997. Colleen was an active volunteer in her children's many activities and sports teams. She was also an ardent supporter of Barack Obama and was a member of the Darien Democratic Town Council. Besides her husband and children, Colleen is survived by her mother, Mary Jane Bruton, her brothers Robert Bruton (Nancy), Kevin Bruton (Marybeth), and Daniel Bruton (Kathy), her sister Janet Bruton Varn (Doug), and seventeen nieces and nephews who adored her. Her beloved dad, John Bruton, preceded her in death. The family will receive friends at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road in Darien on Friday, June 5 from 4:00 8:30 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, June 6 at 11:30 am, St. Thomas More Church, 374 Middlesex Road, Darien. Interment will be private. Memorial donations may be made in honor of Colleen to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation http://www.tnbcfoundation.org/index.html. What a Wonderful World On the night of September 3, 1994, at the home of her brother Dan, Colleen Bruton rose to toast our coming wedding the next day. I had to follow her. If I ever doubted whether Colleen was the only one for me, I knew it for sure that night. Let's just say, she blew me away. And to be honest, I was actually a little bit embarrassed; and I vowed some day to actually rise to the occasion of toasting her like she deserved. So today- well- here goes. I want to tell you who Colleen was, what she was about and how much she accomplished in her tragically short 49 years. But most of all, I just want the chance to tell everybody who'll listen just how much I loved her, how she enriched me and made me the person I need to be, facing the world without her. I also want you to know something about our kids. They have always made Colleen and me so proud. While everyone can appreciate the magnitude of the loss they suffered, nobody could have predicted the amazing grace and courage they have shown in confronting it. Maeve, Caoilinn, Jack, Fionn- losing mom isn't fair. It stinks. But look around this church. All these people are here to make sure we know that we're not going to face this alone. I also want you to know about the family. Janet, Dan, Bob- You've always shown so much love and compassion for Colleen. But in the darker years, you dropped everything, you came on one way tickets, you nursed and reassured Colleen, and you lifted me and the kids on your broad shoulders and you carried us. Knowing you're always behind us is why the kids and I will never fear navigating this crazy world without Colleen. Also, I want to say something to our friends. We moved 800 miles 12 years ago to start a new life out here. We left behind an army of family and friends. We really didn't know anybody. You always worry about that. We took a risk, and I am so glad we took it. On Chester Road, Maywood, the schools, the church, the playing fields around town, you let us into your lives, made us feel at home, and we never looked back. In the last few months, as cancer gripped our world, you enabled us get by with so many dinners, playdates, rides for the kids- just little things to you, but everything to us. Cambridge Place, Jim, my team, you covered for me for weeks and gave me the space to make my last days with Colleen that much more precious. To our family, friends and co-workers, I want you to know you are angles. Colleen's life was a success story. She grew up, where I did- the South Side of Chicago. She was- as we all were- three things: Irish, Catholic, and a Democrat. And, she would always be. Being Irish defined her spirit, Catholic her faith, and Democrat her compassion. But Colleen was restless. She wanted to do great things. Did you know she was one of only two girls from a high school graduating class of 400 who had the moxie to go to "sleep away" college. After graduating, she left behind her passion for art and traded it for the mission of helping secure the safety of workers, going to work for OSHA. They loved her so much they offered her the chance to go to Washington, DC- the big leagues. In Washington, she got promotion after promotion, and ended up working as a Congressional fellow in the office of the future Senate Majority Whip. Her success made us proud. Our marriage was an improbable love story. In late November 1992, I received a really an unusual call from my mom. She told me she met this couple at this South Side Irish picnic who just happened to have a daughter who recently moved to Washington. Somehow she came away with Colleen's phone number (thanks mom), I had the nerve to call her and invite her to a party my roommate Tim and I were planning. I knocked her off her feet and three months later we were engaged. That of course is my version. The way Colleen used to tell it went like this: my dad called me and told me he gave my phone number to this lady. Some guy named Reilly Tierney. She said: Dad- I didn't come all the way to Washington to end up with some Irish guy from the South Side. She let me know pretty quickly that our kegger party and all the cute Georgetown Law chicks were lame, my haricut and rugby shirts had to go, and, then, after finally seeing me in a suit, she agreed to follow me back to Chicago after I lost my job and be my wife. You could always take one look at me- and then look at Colleen, and lets face it, I punched way above my weight and getting such an incredibly beautiful wife (and by the way, her dad let me know it). Colleen's last battle against cancer was a story of perseverance and courage. In thirty eight months, she did not go a single day out of treatment. She reacted to good news and bad news, unflappably, with defiant stoicism. She often drove herself to treatment not to inconvenience anybody, for some time all the way to Boston. She never wanted sympathy, or special treatment, she just wanted a chance to fight back. When her fight and suffering ended, on Tuesday, she gave so many of us, who held her hands in bedside vigil, the ultimate gift- the joy of having experienced one of the most beautiful days of our lives. She's with her father now. Lives cut short are stories unfinished. Colleen didn't live long enough to see Maeve fill a wall with diplomas, or Caoilinn's Broadway debut, Jack's first premiership goal, or Fionn's first Vogue cover. That's tragic. But she did live long enough to walk down the aisle with her beloved father, experience the joy of childbirth four times, host her whole family on a trip to Ireland in the middle of chemotherapy, and stand on the Mall in Washington to witness the inauguration of two Democratic presidents- most recently her beloved Barack Obama in January. You know- at times like this, its really easy to be angry with God. You say to yourself, its so unfair that to lose such a beautiful, vibrant woman with so much potential for good at such a ridiculously young age. You say, its not fair that such a great kids could lose such a special, caring mom. You say, its so sad to see Janet, Bob, Dan and Kevin lose such a loving sister. You might even feel bad for me. But you shouldn't. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I got to spend 17 years with her- 14 with the honor of being her husband. I got to say goodbye over three beautiful years- a lot better than the three minutes I had to say goodbye to my Dad when I was fifteen. And while I lost Colleen, I still have all of you. Angry at God? No, not at all. In the words of the song Colleen loved so well- "I say to myself, what a wonderful world." Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820