Mrs. Carolyn Bruce Obituary (1943

FAIRHAVEN - Carolyn (Ireland) Bruce, 73, of Fairhaven, MA, passed away Friday morning, April 8, 2016. Born on Feb. 27, 1943 in Attleboro, she was a daughter of the late Howard S. Ireland and Doris (MacQuarrie) Ireland. Growing up in Attleboro and South Attleboro, she attended local schools and was active in chorus, choir, and majorettes. Carolyn and her first husband, the late Robert A. Lee, raised their four children in Bridgewater. She later remarried and moved to the South Shore with her husband, the late Jeffrey L. Bruce, residing most of their years together in the Hull area. After working several years in the home health care industry through the 1970's, she started her own business called Safe At Home, located in Hingham, which she operated until her retirement in 2008. An avid piano player since childhood, she loved playing her Baby Grand piano. Whether playing by herself for hours or playing along with her husband and her sisters at parties, she always seemed to surround herself with people who shared her love for music and fun. Growing up, her family owned a cottage on West Island, Fairhaven, which is where she spent all her summers and where she developed her lifelong passion for the beach and the ocean. Carolyn was survived by her three daughters, Debra Lee Valeri and her husband Steven of Westport, Donna (Lee) Leombruno of Middleboro, and Carol (Lee) (Gridley) D'Alessandro and her husband Joseph of Lakeville; step-daughter, Laurie Bruce Corrin of Kirkland, WA; step-son, Jeffrey G. Bruce of Newton; two sisters, Nancy Withers of Norton, and Bette Ireland of San Francisco; 11 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; and 7 nieces and nephews. She was the mother of the late Robert S. Lee; and sister of the late Thomas R. Ireland and of the late Mary F. Ireland. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Tuesday, April 12, from 4 – 8 pm in the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St. Attleboro. A funeral will be conducted on Wednesday, April 13, at 10 am in the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Newell Burying Ground, Attleboro. Memorial donations in memory of Carolyn may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org