Bill Cain, S.J.

Message from the President
January 18, 2017

Dear LMU Community:

I am saddened to share with you that William “Bill” Cain, S.J., professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry, died on Jan. 14, 2017, after a long illness. Father Cain had been living at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. He was 79 years old.

Father Cain, a 1958 alumnus of Loyola University, began his 35-year teaching career at LMU in August 1974 when he joined the chemistry faculty. He developed a reputation as a caring and rigorous teacher. He served several terms as chair of the Chemistry Department, and he was active on university committees, including the Faculty Senate. He retired from LMU in 2009.

Father Cain’s strengths included his service and mentorship. He emphasized working with undergraduates in research, and he integrated instructional technologies as they emerged. His devotion to our mission guided his decisions, and generations of students sought his counsel in the residence halls where he lived. Father Cain was a member of the organizing committee of the Loyola University Club, which engages alumni from 1930 through the early 1970s and assists in recruiting outstanding students to LMU.

Father Cain entered the Society of Jesus at Sacred Heart Novitiate in Los Gatos on Aug. 14, 1959. He was ordained on June 14, 1969, in Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood and pronounced final vows on Sept. 22, 1976, in LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel. He earned his B.A. in chemistry in 1958. He then earned his master’s degree at the University of Detroit Mercy in 1965 and his Ph.D. at UC San Diego in 1975.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, in Sacred Heart Chapel. A reception for family and close friends will follow in the Jesuit residence. Committal will be at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara. Notes of condolence to Father Cain’s family can be sent to: Jim Cain, 12526 Rosy Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90066. Donations can be made in Father Cain’s name to the California Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choice.

Please keep Bill, his family, and his many friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D.
President