PATRICK J. BUHSE: Living Large,
Playing Hard
The
yelling, screaming, posturing and power plays of the
trading floor were Patrick J. Buhse's idea of nirvana. A
government bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Buhse,
36, scrapped his way up from entry level in "the cage" at
18 and never worked anyplace else. "College or Cantor,"
was his take on higher education.
He lived large and played hard: Mr. Buhse was a
Budweiser man. What he liked even better than amassing
moneywas giving it away to relatives. A car here, a fur
coat there, private school for the nieces and nephews.
Sure, he drove a Honda, but it was brand-new. "He wasn't
showy, but all his toys had to be new and clean," said
his wife, Susan. "And his television had to be the
biggest."
Relentlessly social, Mr. Buhse looked for any excuse
to entertain on the town or at home in Lincroft, N.J. He
loved telling jokes, and was not above stealing other
people's anecdotes and improving them. He doted on his
two children and reserved Friday nights for family in Bay
Ridge, Brooklyn, where he was the loudest of six
siblings. "The glass was always half full, not half
empty," his wife said. "His motto was, `Live for the
moment.'"
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