James Ralph Caiazzi

James R. Caiazzi passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 15 from complications after surgery. Jim was the youngest son of Egidio Caiazzi and Angelina (Panecaldo) Caiazzi who emigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s from a small mountain village in Italy. Until retirement, he lived in Clinton and Bolton MA, but upon retirement moved to Orleans. Jim and Rachael enjoyed many years here – particularly the annual “Caiazzi week” when their children and families all gathered for beach days, grilling, whale watching, and card games.

Jim was born in Clinton MA and grew up on Coachlace Pond and is survived by his his wife of 61 years, Rachael (Vattes) Caiazzi. Jim and Rachael had 3 children; James and his wife Nancy, Peter and his wife Federica, and Christine and her husband Andrew. Jim will also be missed by his grandchildren whom he cherished greatly: Christopher, Jillian, Sara, Giulia, Dylan, and Caden. Jim is also survived by his sisters Valia Jaaskela and Margaret Burgoyne, and pre-deceased by brothers Dino Caiazzi, Mario Caiazzi, Dario Caiazzi and sister Olga Caiazzi.

Jim was a graduate of Worcester Trade, where he studied pattern making, and also attended night school for college mathematics. His career and hobbies displayed a wide range of interests. He was employed as a draftsman, purchasing agent, and mechanical designer during his working career and had picked up a significant interest in computers, initially with AutoCAD from his work but expanding into Photoshop where he honed both creative and comedic talents.

Jim’s grandchildren currently range in age from 31 years to 7 months and he always took special interest in their activities. For the older ones, he was frequently on the sidelines for baseball, softball, and hockey games, (sports he himself participated in) or track meets. He also coached his own boys in hockey for several years. For the ones that are currently teens, he enjoyed their piano recitals and attending their swimming lessons. The youngest ones joyfully looked forward to tractor rides around his yard – either in a towed wheeled cart he crafted or sitting on his lap helping to drive.

Two of Jim’s great loves were woodworking and sailing. He built his own boat at one point, but it was quite small and not suitable for ocean sailing. For the better part of two decades, Jim sailed in and around Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay captaining the “Rachael Ann” a 27’ sloop, including several transits of the Cape Cod Canal and an occasional entry into an open water race from Scituate to Provincetown. Despite having full command of the boat, some limitations became evident when the captain’s wife was aboard and could be heard proclaiming “don’t tip the boat, Jimmy”. This usually resulted in luffing the sails and proceeding in a more upright position for the day. During his sailing days Jim earned a Coast Guard Captain’s License to take guests out for hire and also learned celestial navigation.

Jim also loved woodworking. His home, and those of his family, are full of useful items he crafted or customizations that help with everyday living. In addition to the boat, Jim built a toolshed in his Bolton home that survived a direct strike from a large tree during a storm and suffered only a few damaged shingles. In all things, whether bought or created, he had an eye and appreciation for quality. Some notable items Jim created are a 4.5’ dory style rowboat that he brought to Crystal Lake to give his grandson some rides, a 3’ scale replica of Nauset Light, and a variety of wood turning and carving projects. He was particularly fond of lighthouses, toy tops, Christmas trees, and stylized reindeer. Several of the objects he created were available for purchase in local art and gift shops.

As his final home, Jim loved many of the things Orleans offered him. The proximity of the ocean and the mariner tradition of the Cape provided a lot of peace and satisfaction, but he also made many friends in town and would frequently bring back news about what was happening with the woodturners, the farmer’s market, the library, and from his friends at Chocolate Sparrow.

Services for Jim will be held on June 19 in Orleans, MA beginning with a wake at Nickerson’s Funeral Home from 9:00a-11:00a followed by a funeral mass at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church at Noon. Later this summer, the family will have a private ceremony to bury Jim at sea so that he may peacefully rest in the area and ocean he loved so well. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Friends of Snow Library, Orleans MA. https://friendsofsnowlibrary.org/donate/