Bruce Douglas Cagwin, of North Truro, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family at age 73 after a long illness on September 4, 2021. He was born in Fayetteville, New York, the son of Douglas and Nancy Cagwin, and spent his early life there. In the summer of 1969, before his senior year of college, he and his girlfriend were heading to Maine and took a quick detour at her suggestion "just a little further down the road" to Provincetown, heading south on Route 495 instead of north at its junction with the Mass Pike. Legend has it that he'd had a postcard from Truro in his college dorm room and would say, "I'm going to live there one day." As if he'd manifested it, he immediately fell in love with the people, the culture, and the landscape, and settled on the Outer Cape for good after graduation.
It was in Provincetown that Bruce met the love of his life, Janice, and her daughter, Jessica. After several years they settled in North Truro, trading the hustle and bustle of 1970s Provincetown for an antique Cape house off Route 6A. They would spend their lives dedicated to improving and expanding their home, inside and out. It was the hub of family activity, and host to a rotating cast of friends, relatives, and friends of friends.
Bruce's love of the beach was a constant. Whether it was the bay, the ocean, or on the boat, hardly a day went by between the months of May and September that he didn't swim, or at least set foot in the water for a quick dip after work. The whole family felt privileged to spend every day of the summer in a place so special that people drove and flew from all over to visit. His children and grandchildren will always remember swimming and playing in the waves with him.
Bruce began plumbing as an apprentice in 1972, and would continue on to get his Master's License and run a successful business, Royal Flush Plumbing, until his illness recently forced his retirement. His gift for the trade afforded his family a wonderful life, instilling the values of hard work and a job well done on his children and those who worked for him. He had a knack for people, and even as he scaled back from doing new construction, he continued to stay in touch with his many loyal customers.
His love of the community drove his involvement in the Truro School Committee, where he served as chairman, advocating for and seeing through the construction of the new Truro Central School as part of the School Building Committee in 1990. Bruce was an active member of the congregation at St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown, serving on the vestry for many years, and remaining involved with community outreach on the Outer Cape. As a board member of the Pamet Harbor Yacht and Tennis Club, he found yet another place that married his love of people and being near the water, and perhaps the added perk of guaranteed parking on busy summer days at the Pamet.
In addition to his dear wife Janice Parky, he leaves behind his daughter Jessica Oami and her husband Paul Frisina of Los Angeles, CA, son Montgomery and his wife Emily of West Newton, MA, and son Jenkin and his wife Aline of Scituate, MA. Bruce's ability to connect with people of all ages made him a loving and doting grandfather to his five grandchildren, Marcello and Angelo Frisina, Juliana Oami, and Remy and Dylan Cagwin. He is also survived by his brother Lee Cagwin and his wife Jane of Henderson Harbor, NY, sister Anne Hagstrom and her husband Gunnar of Yarmouth, ME, and sister Gail Meyer and her husband Rick of Saranac Lake, NY, as well as many nieces, nephews, and extended family members. Always a lover of animals, he will be missed dearly by his dog Piper, and his grand-dogs Franco, Eloise, Milo, Ruby, and Belli.
Bruce will be remembered with a celebration of life at a future date. If you would like to be notified when the celebration is scheduled, please respond here. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bruce's name to St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown, to aid in their mission of helping our neighbors and making the world a more just, equitable, and healthy place for all.