Our dear friend, Brandon Zurlo, passed away peacefully on June 4th, at the age of 70. Most of his closest friends were able to be by his bedside during his final days.

He was born and raised in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, the only child of Angelo and Lucy Borovatz Zurlo.

He traveled east to Georgetown University for college, and graduated in 1978 from the University’s School of Foreign Service, with a degree in East Asian studies. He was conversant in Japanese, a skill he valued highly and which often proved useful in his career.

Upon graduation, he worked at Northwest Airlines for a number of years, before returning to graduate school and earning an MBA in Marketing from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1984. After his MBA graduation, he worked for the Ted Bates ad agency for a few years, followed by a return to Northwest Airlines, this time as a Director of Marketing. He was based in their St. Paul/Minneapolis headquarters, but travelled the world on assignment. In his director’s capacity, he spent many years producing original content and marketing materials around the globe, with special focus on China, Japan, and other parts of East Asia.

His joy and enthusiasm for traveling stayed with him to the very end. Even in retirement, he continued to travel extensively. Within the last eight months of his life, he went back to Paris with his cousin Vickie, took a cruise with several close friends to Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, other parts of East Asia. And most recently, spent a week in April discovering the island of Malta.

Memories of Brandon will be fondly preserved by his many close friends who include Laura Park, Billie Scallen, Brigitte Bomm, Hal Rossiter, Joe Abraham, Sam Simon, Bob Hervey, Rob Godley, as well as his cousins Bob and Vickie Francone of Los Gatos, CA, and his good friends Kelley and Robert Blanco.

In addition to his close friends and family, Brandon kept the memory of his very close friend Tara Khaleel, who passed away in 2017, very close to his heart, and his cousin Karen, who passed away more recently.

Brandon survivors would also like to acknowledge the continued support of the staff of Marlo Towers, the building he lived in for over 20 years. Their dedication and care were warmly appreciated by Brandon and by his friends.

Brandon was especially happy that virtually all of his closest friends were able to be with him during his most recent illness.