James W. Carey

JAMES W. (JIM) CAREY
SYRACUSE - James W. (Jim) Carey, 85, a Syracuse native who was formerly a long-time resident of Ithaca, NY as well as Pittsfield, MA, died on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 in Capistrano Beach, CA following a long decline caused by Alzheimer's disorder. Born December 6, 1923 in Syracuse, NY, only child of Emily Guenthner Carey (later Ponsonby) and James Carey, who passed away when his son was an infant, Jim was raised in Syracuse and attended public schools there; he later attended and graduated from NY Military Academy. He met and courted his wife, Mary Louise Hopkins (from Maplewood, NJ) when they were "the only advertising majors on campus" at Syracuse University during World War II. Following college graduation, Jim served in the U.S. Army, providing educational services for returning GI's. He married his wife, Mary Lou on December 28, 1946; they settled in Ithaca, NY for many years and had two children, Emily (born 1948) and Michael (born 1957). Jim was first employed by two advertising agencies in Ithaca, NY: Ag Research and later at Taylor Ward Advertising. After four years at a large ad agency in Buffalo, NY, Jim returned to Ithaca in 1960 to buy and operate the former Ward agency under the new name: Carey Advertising, Inc. He was the CEO and chief copywriter, while his wife, Mary Lou was the CFO. Under their leadership, the business tripled within a decade. After semi-retirement at the age of fifty-five, Jim then earned his real estate license and the couple opened a real estate firm, specializing in Ithaca-area rental properties. Jim and his wife later lived in Honolulu, HI, as well as in Sand Key and Clearwater, FL and in Pittsfield, in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. He was a lifelong fan of opera and theatre, as well as a classical music enthusiast, and volunteered in his later years at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA (summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and the Berkshire Opera Company. He and his wife attended summer theatre regularly in the Berkshires, and Jim also attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC as often as possible, while living in Western Mass. In Hawaii, he enjoyed the local music and learned to play ukulele, as well as taking classes in ikebana, traditional Japanese flower-arranging. Jim was predeceased by his wife, Mary Lou in 2000. He lived in Massachusetts until late 2008, and since then has been at an assisted living facility in Southern Califomia. He is survived by his two children, Dr. Emily Carey, a clinical psychologist in Cambridge, MA and Dr. Michael Carey, a faculty member in computer science at the University of California at Irvine. In addition, James is survived by three grandchildren, Zoe Boucher, of Cambridge, MA and Christina and Brian Carey, of San Clemente, CA; all college students.
There will be a small graveside ceremony at South Hill Cemetery in Ithaca, NY in 2010. In lieu of flowers, the family invites friends to support Jim's favorite opera company by contributing to a memorial plaque on a seat in the balcony at the Metropolitan Opera House, to be inscribed with Jim's name. Contact Gabriel Burnham at the Met's Office of Planned Giving at 212-870-4555 or by email at gburnham@metopera.org Bangs Funeral Home is assisting the family.