In Honor of Cary Bosak

Cary C. Bosak, husband and father, brother and friend, outstanding son of Andrean High School and the University of Notre Dame, passed away November 5, 2021, following a heart attack. He was surrounded by his loving wife and four children.

Cary Bosak was a man of integrity and humility, philanthropy and love. That was evident in his 29-year marriage to Jen and his devotion to their kids, Cam, Carson, Logan and Cade. It was evident in his leadership at Bosak Motors, where his attitude and work ethic inspired the best from all who worked alongside him. Whether you were his oldest friend or just meeting him, you could just feel it — there was an energy and a joy he carried with him. Cary Bosak loved his life.

He was born on August 19, 1960 into a big family with deep roots in Northwest Indiana. During his 61 years, Cary embodied so many ideals that we, as a society, strive to represent. He was loving, intelligent, understanding and, above all else, kind… likely because he learned from the best. His dad, Jack, was a Notre Dame graduate and lifelong fan, as well as an exceptional businessman, devout Catholic and steadfast community servant. His mom, Barbara, is a dedicated and resilient matriarch, fortified by her strong faith and deep love of family. Cary was part of the third generation of the Bosak family business, a role he loved and one he shared with his siblings, Skip (John), Greg and Theresa.

As a loyal son of Notre Dame, Cary laid the foundation for his successful career and forged lifelong friendships in the process. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1982, an M.B.A. in 1983, and in the years following, he earned a reputation for hosting one of the best tailgates in South Bend thanks to his signature Bloody Marys and his consistent, welcoming presence in the Joyce South on football Saturdays.

As the CEO of the Bosak Auto Group, Cary noted that his wins were rarely, if ever, an individual accomplishment, and he made sure celebrating them wasn’t either. His was a life defined by togetherness — working alongside his siblings, cherishing every family milestone, golfing and traveling with friends, cheering on his kids in their sports and even more emphatically in their lives.

His personal and professional accomplishments are only outnumbered by his contributions to his community. He served on the boards of the Andrean High School Foundation and St. Mary Medical Center. He was a benefactor of the American Heart Association; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and the new Dean and Barbara White Community Center, to name a few. He made sure service was a key part of his work at Bosak Motors, from sponsoring youth athletics to raising money for schools and community centers and beyond.

Though the list is as long as it is impressive, it’s not his many titles or achievements that best define Cary, it was the reason driving them all — his desire to leave every situation better than he found it. If he could make the business run more smoothly, he figured it out. If he could do it in a way that gives back, he always did. If he could make a tough time on a friend a little easier, he stepped up. If he could make a celebration even more fun, he was two steps ahead. And he succeeded — he left his teams and his communities, his family and his friends far better off for having known him.

To know Cary Bosak is to miss him. Those of us who had the immeasurable good fortune to call him one of us will be reminded of his legacy of love in every laugh around the family dinner table, on every sideline cheering on the kids, in every smile exchanged with an old friend who became family, in every moment of peace found during a long drive on an open road (likely in a Bosak car), and on every Notre Dame game day kicked off with that first sip of a cold drink on a crisp fall morning. But most importantly, his legacy will live on in the biggest lesson he taught by example — how to lead a life worth loving.

He should be remembered in death as he was in life — a man devoted to his family, his friends, and his community. A man who left the world better than he found it. A man who loved his life.

Cary is reunited with his father, Jack Bosak. His spirit is carried on by his wife Jennifer and their four children, Cameron, Carson, Logan and Caden; his mother, Barbara; his brother Skip (John) and his wife Cora; his niece, Shawn Bosak Borman, her husband, Andy and their son, Leo; His nephew Brad, his wife Christina and their daughter Riley, his brother Greg and his wife, Deb, as well as their kids Nick (and his wife Devin), Brooke, Adam and John; his sister Theresa and her husband, Scott Haislip, as well as their kids Calvin, Spencer, Caitlin, Cooper, Sydney and Reagan; nephew Grayson and niece Georgia; his dear friends who count him as a brother, as well as the small army of their kids who knew him as “Uncle Cary”; and an extended community of family, friends and neighbors from every walk of life.