Dr. Bruno A. Alesii, 62, of Boerne, Texas, passed peacefully at his home on Wednesday, October 8, 2014.

Bruno is survived by his wife, Julia, and had joyously celebrated a 40th wedding anniversary on August 31st, 2014. He has two sons, Erminio of Durham, North Carolina and his wife Lekisha, and Andy of Austin, Texas and his wife Jessica. Also surviving are his sisters, Lisa Morlacci and her husband Nello of Tucson, Arizona along with Valeria Segreti of Latina, Italy, and his brother, Aldo Alesii and wife Sharon of Morgan Hill, California. He has several nieces and nephews around the world who all held a special place in his heart. He was excited for the growth of his family and enjoyed welcoming new great-nieces and great-nephews to the family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Erminio and Maria, and his brother-in-law, Paolo.

Bruno was born to Erminio and Maria Alesii in Picenze, Italy on August 14, 1952, and was the youngest of four children. His parents were hard-working farmers in a small village in Italy, but dreamed of a better life for their family which brought them to the United States in 1962. Bruno's American Dream began at 9 years old in Tucson, Arizona. His parents worked tirelessly to give him the opportunity to achieve an education-an opportunity for which he was eternally grateful.

After graduating from Tucson High School in 1970, Bruno went on to earn a Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Agronomy from the University of Arizona in 1974 and 1976, respectively. Bruno had a connection to farming and agriculture from an early age and agronomy was a natural path for him. His quest for knowledge took him to Ames, Iowa, and the University of Iowa where he earned his doctorate degree in Agronomy in 1982.

Although Bruno's parents placed a strong emphasis on education, another influence in his life also encouraged him on his path to success, his high school sweetheart, Julia. After several years of courtship, during a romantic dinner one night, Bruno asked Julia to marry him and start a life together. They worked concurrently to get through undergraduate and graduate studies-and even welcomed two sons within 18 months of each other while Bruno was earning his Ph.D. and Julia, a law degree. Bruno and Julia were best friends, as well as husband and wife. Their connection gave them the strength to weather life's ups and downs and make a happy, fruitful life and their love for one another is unmatched.

Their first son, Erminio, was born in 1980, and shortly after, Andy, was born in 1981. Bruno was everything a son could ask for in a father-playful and encouraging; a teacher, but always willing to learn; gentle, but knew when to be firm. His passion for science and business was passed on to Erminio, who now has a successful education and career in pharmaceuticals; while his zest for investments was shared with his son, Andy, who discussed the financial markets with him on a daily basis.

Bruno had a storied career filled with many accomplishments. He began as a product development representative for Monsanto Corporation in 1982 in Iowa conducting field trials and worked his way up through the company over a 22.5 year career. His career spanned many roles and he worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. and earned an upper management role in Monsanto before retiring in 2004. He was based in St. Louis, Missouri, but his career at Monsanto allowed him to travel across the world, which he immensely enjoyed. In his final years with Monsanto, he was able to move to Boerne, Texas, to be closer to family members in Texas and Arizona. Most recently, he and his wife planned to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, as a group that Bruno worked with at Monsanto was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Bruno lived his life radiating passion and positivity. All who knew him loved him. He enjoyed spending time with his family, gardening, reading, cooking-and was never one to pass up a friendly political debate. He liked to try out new recipes on his wife Julia. He always had dinner ready for her when she came home from work and was a master in the kitchen. He was active and went for regular nature walks, bowled with the best of them, and even participated in a water gun fight on occasion. Always at his side was his adored and faithful canine companion, Hubba Bubba. He enjoyed traveling and recent excursions with his wife included visits to Alaska, Peru, Washington D.C., New Mexico and Colorado.

Visitation will be Thursday, October 16th, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. with Recitation of the Rosary from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Ebensberger-Fisher Funeral Home. The funeral mass will be Friday, October 17th at 1:00 p.m. at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Boerne, Texas. He will be interred with his parents at South Lawn Cemetery in Tucson, Arizona.

If you wish to make a memorial contribution, you may make it to the Future Farmers of America at P O Box 68960, Indianapolis, IN 46268 or www.ffa.org. To leave condolences for the family and to view a video of Bruno's life, please visit www.ebensberger-fisher.com and select the Obituaries tab.

Arrangements with Ebensberger-Fisher Funeral Home of Boerne.