East Montpelier, VT

Mr. William Bruce Bjornlund passed away peacefully at his home in East Montpelier, Vermont on Friday, August 15, 2025. He was 83. Bruce enjoyed a fulfilling 54-year career practicing law, the last 48 years of which he spent in private practice in Waterbury, Vermont.

Bruce was the son of Oke and Shirley (Hanson) Bjornlund and was raised in Holden, Massachusetts. He graduated from Wachusett Regional High School in 1959, Middlebury College in 1963 and obtained his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1966.

Before attending Middlebury, Bruce was introduced to the natural beauty of Vermont while working as a counselor at Camp Abenaki in South Hero, Vermont, a job which he loved and which would influence him greatly as a young man and beyond.

Bruce began his legal career as a labor relations attorney at General Electric Co. and The Norton Co. He was involved in Equal Opportunity Employment negotiations all over the United States. In 1969, Bruce returned to Vermont as the state's Deputy Commissioner of Personnel. In 1972, Bruce opened his own law firm in Waterbury, Vermont, and, for the next 48 years, enjoyed working for a wide variety of clients, from families buying their first home in the Mad River Valley to municipalities in complex litigation (including the Town of East Montpelier).

Bruce was a man of few words, but he was witty and had a keen, dry sense of humor. He was an avid reader and, before his mobility was limited by illness, he enjoyed hunting, sailing, and traveling with his wife and children. In his later years, Bruce enjoyed writing letters to friends and family near and far, who always looked forward to hearing about the weather in Vermont, a favorite poem, or local politics, to name a few of Bruce's favorite topics. Bruce volunteered for several organizations, including The Vermont Children's Aid Society (President), and The Center for Northern Studies in Wolcott, VT.

Bruce was accompanied in life by his wife of 53 years, Georgiana O. Miranda. In addition to Georgiana, he is survived by his son Niall A. Bjornlund, daughter-in-law, Lori, and grandchildren Cellia, and Ivan, all of Waitsfield, VT; son Kyle E. Bjornlund, daughter-in-law, Kate, and grandchildren Eliza, William, and Frances of Cambridge, MA. He is also survived by his brother Robert, sister-in-law, Nancy, and niece Shari of Brooklyn, MN, as well as his nephew, James, his wife Kari, and their daughters Savanah and Rianna of Coon Rapids, MN.

A graveside service was held at the Doty Cemetery, Dodge Rd., East Montpelier on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.