John Joseph Bulwidas

Jack fell in love with aeronautics and airplanes from a young age, when his favorite hobby was working with model airplanes; his favorite Christmas gift growing up was an airplane engine for one of his models. As he grew older, he learned to fly on a J3 Cub airplane. His long career in aviation started with flying for International Aviation as a co-pilot, and then as a Commercial Airline Pilot for Eastern Airlines and North American Airlines, where he reached the rank of Captain. His career took him all over the world, with some of his favorite stops being Iceland, the Azores, and Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean. His tales of thin-crust pizza from stops in Italy were remembered frequently and fondly. He met many notable people while flying corporate charters for Readers’ Digest, and he spoke often of flying Garth Brooks and his entourage to Ireland for a concert. His last flight in 1999 flew into JFK with much fanfare, including a water salute. Despite his illustrious flying career, his favorite job was working on a friend’s farm when he was a teenager, where he got up to many hijinks and tomfoolery with Bobby, Tommy, Roger, and his brother, Peter.

Upon his retirement, he turned to many of his other hobbies, which included welding, boating, and traveling with Karen, his wife. As a welder, he worked for Coors Beer doing fabrication and probes and even held a US patent for his redesign of a welding tool. He also was known for creating metal abstract sculptures. He loved his Grady White boat, and expanded his horizons around Cape Cod Bay, even traversing Cape Cod Canal several times. He loved taking his family to Billingsgate Island, where his grandchildren went clamming while he went hunting for bricks from the old structures that existed on the island. On any boat trip, he was famous for saying “wanna cast out a few lines?” no matter the weather conditions or perceived presence of fish. He was an avid reader of all-things history and aviation, and traveled with Karen to places such as Normandy, Alaska, England, and Sedona, Arizona. He loved games of Mexican Train dominoes and Wii bowling with his grandkids.

At the end of his life, Jack said that he lived life to the fullest, enjoyed his journey on Earth, and had no regrets.

In his last days, Jack was grateful for his wife, son, and daughter and their loving care; and thanked Broad Reach Hospice Care and ComForCare for their immense help and care.

Jack is predeceased by his mother, Darthea; his father, John; and his brother, Peter (Karen). He leaves behind his beloved wife, Karen, of more than sixty years; his son, Kevin; his daughter and son-in-law Lynn and John; and his five grandchildren, Victoria (Jacob), Joseph (Claire), Daria, Rhiannon, and Gabriel.

Visitation hours for Jack will be held on Friday, September 18, from 5-7pm at Doane, Beal, and Ames Funeral Home, 729 MA-134, South Dennis, MA. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, September 19, at 11am at Our Lady of the Cape Parish, 468 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, MA.

burial will take place after the Mass at Brewster Cemetery, located at 465 Lower Road, Brewster, MA.