LTC Jacques Cayere, Sr. lived an extraordinary life. With warrior ethos, he faced many obstacles throughout his military and civilian careers, but he confronted his greatest adversary in pancreatic cancer. He stalwartly defied the odds issued by doctors and beat his deadly opponent for 2 years and 7 months; However, on Sunday, October 30th, around time for Catholic mass, he lost the battle. In true Jacq fashion, he claimed he was “never better” and gave “no slack” until the very end.



Jacques was born on December 11, 1942 in Santurce, Puerto Rico to Agustín and Rosa Cayere. He and his older brother Agustín attended Academia Sagrado Corazón. At the young age of 14, he began walking the love of his life, María de Lourdes Perez Ferrari, home from school. Jacques and Maria had the same birthday, one year apart, and were born in the same hospital. They were destined to live their lives together. Jacques was an ROTC graduate of the University of Puerto Rico. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Army and on June 1st, 1963, he married his childhood sweetheart. The newly minted Lieutenant Cayere and Mrs. Jacques Cayere, left their island home for a life around the globe in the United States Army.

LTC Cayere was a professional soldier who served his country honorably for 20 years. He was a Combat Infantryman who led warriors for two years in Vietnam and served proudly in both the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. He attended the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. Additionally, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Syracuse University.

Among his awards and decorations are the Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Parachute Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He also received Vietnam Service, Campaign Medals, and National Defense Service Medals. Jacques was stoically proud of being one of only 5 Puerto Ricans to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army at the time of his retirement.

Upon retiring from the US Army, Jacques built one of the premiere accounting firms in Virginia, Cayere & Cayere, CPAs PC with his wife Maria and his eldest son Jack, Jr. More than just calculations, Jacques was in the business of relationships. He valued connection and was innately talented at finding the best people to create a successful team. He cultivated lifelong ties with all his clients and co-workers.

After years of success running an award-winning small business, Jacq found his third love (sequentially after his wife Maria and the US Army) in Luray, VA. He spent weekends at his Luray home on the bank of the Shenandoah River and spent hours rowing in his custom rowboat, “Always Right”.

Jacq believed in practicing gratitude through service to your community. He coached his sons in little league, baseball, and basketball teams over the years. He was an officer in the Lake Ridge Rotary Club, he taught accounting courses at Northern Virginia Community College, and volunteered for countless boards. He led from the front and made people feel appreciated.

Jacques was an accomplished CPA, a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a loving husband and father, a brave and honorable soldier, and a man of great faith. He was a warrior and “Great American” deemed by one of his best friends LTG (USA RET.) Glynn Mallory, Jr.

Jacques Cayere, Sr is survived by his wife of 59 years, Maria; son, Jacques Cayere, Jr. (Leigh Anna Cayere); son, Jose Cayere (Sharron Cayere); daughter, Cristina Cayere; daughter, Kathy Novitsky; and grandchildren, Marta, Joseph, Jacques III, David, Anna Maria, Kaz, Virginia, Shaw, and Caroline.

There are no words to express our family's gratitude to our doctors, nurses, staff and so many other health providers at Sibley Memorial Hospital and Sentara Hospital who gave Jacq incredible care. Thank you to our family and friends who became family, for your support and willingness to jump in at any moment to provide.