JAMES CAYNE

1934 - 2021

CAYNE--James Eliot, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at the age of 87. While publicly known as the CEO of Bear Stearns, James was known to his family as "Papa Jimmy," and was, above all, a loving and supportive father and grandfather to his daughters, Jennice and Alison, as well as his seven grandchildren, Emily, Nina, Katherine, Jonathan, Caroline, Julia, and William. We will never forget the way he would ask us to close our eyes when we were little, and pretend to fly around the room or through the phone, always magically "landing" the moment we opened them. We smile as we remember the "special dividends" in Monopoly games, the way he lit up while listening to our stories, and the twinkle in his eyes as he helped us solve and strategize the puzzles that inevitably came up as we learned to navigate life. Papa loved the game of bridge, soulful music, riveting sports games, and, most of all, his beautiful wife, Patricia, and their family. We were fortunate to have such a strong, engaged, larger-than-life figure Papa in our lives, and we are grateful every day to have known him. He truly knew us, too: What our gifts are, what gives us joy, and what we needed to feel loved. Papa Jimmy had a way of making each of us feel special and strong, supported and inspired. We will always appreciate his genius, individuality, sense of humor, playfulness, generosity, and the way he looked at Patricia, even after 50 years of marriage. We promise to continue to work hard and make him proud and will miss him beyond words.