Bruce David Colegrove

Bruce D. Colegrove, attorney and musician from Leverett, Mass., passed away on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. He was 74 years old.

Bruce was born in Hyannis, Mass., was raised on Cape Cod, and graduated from Barnstable High School, where he was active in the music world and played in local bands. After graduation, he worked on the Cape and was a member of various rock ‘n’ roll and bluegrass bands and ensembles, including Spruce and Fiddlesticks. Spruce toured throughout New England in the 1970s; their highly acclaimed folk rock album came out in 1975.

In the early 1980s, Bruce returned to formal education and graduated from Cape Cod Community College, Williams College, and Western New England University School of Law. After law school, he moved to Washington, DC, where he served as a law clerk to administrative judges at the US Department of Labor. While in DC, he met his sweetheart, Kathleen Lafferty.

Bruce returned to Massachusetts, and in 1992 he and Kathleen moved to Leverett. In his private law practice, he sought justice for his clients regardless of their station in life. He specialized in tenant law and consumer protection and was a contributor to many editions of the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education comprehensive course on Residential Landlord and Tenant Practice.

Mostly, though, Bruce was a musician. He loved playing, singing, and bringing joy to others through his music—from his early days of drumming, through years of playing electric guitar and bass in rock ‘n’ roll and country bands, and continuing with his beautiful and heartfelt solo acoustic guitar gigs. He relished stepping away from the legal world to play throughout the Pioneer Valley, especially with the band Four on the Floor, where his ringing tenor voice and high harmonies shone. In recent years, he performed as a solo singer/songwriter and was a fixture at local farmers’ markets and venues. He was particularly fond of Floodwater Brewery and his loyal followers there.

When not playing music, Bruce enjoyed taking long road trips, camping in Vermont, visiting music stores and noodling on vintage Martin guitars, rooting for the Red Sox, and relaxing with his dear cat, Handsome.

Bruce was predeceased by his parents, Dawn Grant and James Colegrove, as well as fellow musicians and bandmates Bob, Danny, Dave (Spruce), and Jimmy and Brian (Four on the Floor). He will be missed by the extended Grant, Colegrove, and Lafferty families, friends and fellow musicians who thought the world of him, and especially his loving partner, Kathleen.

At Bruce’s request, no services are planned. To honor him, he would want you to sing your favorite Beatles songs out loud and support your local musicians.