Bruce Paley

An alumnus of Oberlin College, Bruce received his Ph.D. from Tufts University, where he held dual appointments to the departments of Psychology and Music, teaching courses on the History of the Blues, Jazz Theory, and the Psychology of Music. A highly-regarded blues guitarist and instructor, Bruce played regularly with Albert Collins and Albert King, and he was seldom seen without one of his many guitars wherever he traveled.

As a clinical psychologist, Bruce was gentle and kind, beloved by clients and colleagues. His work was generous, transformative, and long-lasting, marked by his commitment to the people he served.

An avid fencer, cyclist, skater, and skier, Bruce's energy was boundless. He devoured new ideas and attitudes with great fervor, and his dedication to his many passions was joyous, egoless, and uncomplicated. He was relentlessly devoted to his students, clients, bandmates, friends, and, most of all, to Matthew, his loving son, and Carol, his wife of 37 years and fiercest protector.

Diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2011, Bruce bore a long and degrading illness with dignity and grace, loving those around him without reservation, without context, and, eventually, without memory. He was beloved by his caretakers at home, at Hearthstone Woburn, and at Belmont Manor, who frequently visited him after he had moved on from their care. Even when finally stripped of memory and speech, Bruce radiated warmth and kindness. The last words to disappear from his vocabulary were "good" and "wonderful."

A celebration of Bruce's life will be held on his birthday, April 5th, 2019. Friends and family will be notified of time and place. Donations can be made in Bruce's memory to Dr. Dickerson's Dementia Research Program at MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit (www.giving.massgeneral.org/ftd-unit).