BY SANDI CARPELLO
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff More than 1,500 mourners created an overflow crowd at Rumson’s Holy Cross Church for services remembering John Mulheren. At left, Pudgie Conroy walks Mulheren’s horse to the ceremony on Friday.
John Mulheren’s funeral could have been mistaken for a lavish Christmas party.
But family and friends say that’s how the flamboyant Wall Street financier would have wanted it.
"Everything about John was big," said Alan "Ace" Greenberg, the former chairman of Bear Stearns Cos. and stakeholder in Mulheren’s investment management firm, Bear Wagner Specialists LLC. "He was bigger than life in every respect."
Outside the funeral service and viewing at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church last Friday, Santa Claus sat atop a 1927 firetruck, a tiny woman dressed in a Christmas tree costume led one of Mulheren’s favorite horses around the churchyard, and Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town"— performed by The Boss himself — preceded the Irish bag-pipe recessional.
While Rumson, Fair Haven, Sea Bright and Little Silver’s police departments closed off part of Rumson Road to make way for the funeral’s more than 1,500 attendees, the outpouring of guests who could not fit in the Holy Cross sanctuary viewed a live simulcast of the service in an outside tent.
Described by friend Jon Bon Jovi as "the real Santa Claus," Mulheren was buried in a two-piece red suit. When his casket was placed in the hearse, multi-colored confetti was shot in the air.
E-Street Band member Nils Lofgren and Springsteen sidekick Bobby Bandiera entertained the audience with acoustic versions of "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Young at Heart," respectively.
Even his widow, Nancy, and his seven children steered away from somber colors, dressing in vibrant red Christmas sweaters.
Mulheren, 54, died at his Scothigh Farm on Dec. 15 of a cardiac arrest brought on by a seizure suffered earlier in the day, according to family spokesman Stephen Cutler.
Notorious for his alleged involvement in the 1980s insider trading scandals and admired for the millions of dollars he donated to dozens of charitable organizations, Mulheren will be remembered as a controversial man who had strong opinions, took risks, and possessed an insatiable zest for life.
"John did more living in 54 years than most people can do in 1,000," his brother, Michael, said. "His motto was ‘We’re not here for a long time. We’re here for a good time."
Mulheren had a well-earned reputation as one of the sharpest minds in the brokerage business.
At age 25, he was managing director of Merrill Lynch, where he earned a legendary status of making more money than anyone in the entire company — including the president, according to Greenberg. Mulheren was appointed CEO and member of the Executive Committees of Bear Wagner Specialists LLC and Bear Hunter Holdings LLC in 1991.
Friends and family loved and admired Mulheren for his tough, demanding nature, generosity and shrewd business sense.
"John often felt that if Jim Carrey and George Burns could be God, he could be God," said the Rev. Joseph Hughes in his eulogy. "He is being buried in the church not because he spent a lot of time here. But he passed by often."
"When he’s standing at St. Peter’s pearly gates, he may be upset that they aren’t the proper shade of white," his brother said during his eulogy.
A self-made man, who spent the majority of his childhood in Red Bank and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 1967, Mulheren was known for his philanthropy and generosity to dozens of organizations, including his alma maters Roanoke College in Salem, Va., and CBA.
"John was generous to a fault, but the overwhelming majority of people he helped never knew him," his brother said. "My brother believed charity was something done quietly and in overgenerous amounts."
"Mulheren was always doing, always building, always moving," said Springsteen, a longtime friend of Mulheren’s. "Whatever he touched he changed, whether it was our community or your life. His great generosity, spirit and friendship will be deeply missed."
To celebrate Mulheren’s generosity, the family has established JAM anonymous foundation. Contributions can be sent care of Rumson Management, 95 Avenue of the Two Rivers, Rumson, NJ 07760.