E. Garrett Bewkes III, known to his many friends as “Gar,” passed away on Nov. 18, 2024, in New York City from complications related to Leukemia. He was 74.
E. Garrett “Gar” Bewkes III, passed away Nov. 18. His funeral will take place on Dec. 6.
He was a founder of GarMark Partners, chair of its Investment Committee, and director of numerous portfolio companies. Under his leadership, GarMark invested in over 100 companies, helping fund the growth of many businesses across the U.S. As a pioneer in leveraged finance, Mr. Bewkes was widely respected and valued as a partner capable of solving complex challenges.
Bewkes was born in New Haven on Oct. 6, 1950. Growing up in New Jersey and Connecticut, Mr. Bewkes graduated from Deerfield Academy and St. Lawrence University, on both of whose boards he eventually served. In 1974, he earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and joined Citibank as a loan officer, embarking on what became an illustrious career in finance.
Bewkes moved to Manufacturers Hanover Trust in 1977 where he co-founded MHT’s Specialized Financing Group, the first dedicated leveeraged-buy-out-lending unit established by a commercial bank.
In 1985 he joined Bear Stearns as a senior managing director. Over the next few years, he became co-head of mergers and acquisitions, vice chairman of investment banking, and co-chairman of Bear’s Underwriting Committee.
Elected to the Board of Directors in 1989, he continued to serve in that role until 1997, several years after he departed from the firm. His colleague, former CEO Alan Schwartz, said, “Gar was a respected leader during his years at Bear Stearns. He drove his team hard, but their respect and admiration for him was evident.”
In 1994, he joined Investcorp, a leading international private equity firm, where he was head of their North American Corporate and Real Estate Investment Group until he left to found GarMark in 1997.
Having spent childhood summers on his grandfather’s dairy farm in New York State, Mr. Bewkes developed an early love of hunting and fishing that he pursued his whole life. Friends and family have countless stories of triumphs and near catastrophes on rivers, lakes, oceans, and in the Alaskan wilderness. He was a passionate scuba diver who traveled the world in pursuit of the ultimate underwater photograph, whether it was a hammerhead shark or the perfect coral reef.
An avid golfer all his life, Gar was President of Sankaty Golf Club in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He also served on the Columbia University Medical Board of Advisors and on the Heart Council at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Bewkes is survived by his wife, Jane; his three children, Chandler Bewkes Stroud (Ryan), Barrett Bewkes Higgins (Sean), and E. Garrett Bewkes IV (Bradley); and four grandchildren: Riley, Rory, Parker and Saylor.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 in St Luke’s Episcopal Church.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in E. Garrett Bewkes, III’s name to support Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Checks, made payable to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, should be mailed to:
Attn: Community Fundraising
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Office of Development
PO Box 27106
New York, NY 10087
Please indicate on the check memo line that the gift is in memory of E. Garrett Bewkes, III.
— an obituary from Lawrence Funeral Home where online condolences may be left