Douglas Mylchreest Cain III, a man of generosity, enthusiasm and principle, died September 22, 2024, at the age of 86. Doug was born in Chicago on September 8, 1938.
Raised in Newton, Kansas by his parents, Douglas M. Cain Jr. and Louise Coleman Cain, Doug prepared at Newton High School in Newton, KS. Majoring in English, he graduated with an A.B. from Harvard College where he was a member of Lowell House and the Class of 1960.
After three years in the U.S. Navy, Doug earned a JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 1966 and joined Denver-based law firm Sherman & Howard that same year. In the fall of 1969, he took a year’s leave to study tax law at New York University, returning to Denver in the spring of 1970 with an LL.M. and a new wife, Constance Moffit Cain, whom he met at a performance of Hair. Constance and the practice of law were the two great loves of his life, and his relationship with each lasted 54 years.
Doug was a nationally recognized expert in tax and estate law, authoring dozens of articles, leading multiple professional organizations and mentoring generations of attorneys. As he often explained, “I love what I do, I love the people with whom I do it, I love the clients for whom I do it, and that makes it easy.”
Doug was unfailingly generous with his professional time and energy outside the office: he served as board president of the Colorado Children’s Chorale, Swedish Medical Center, and the Rocky Mountain Harvard Club, and provided pro bono services to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. A proud spouse and father, Doug took great pleasure in celebrating his family’s accomplishments, especially Constance’s career in show business. He loved good food and wine, entertaining, golf and travel, and loved even more to share these experiences with friends and family. Even in the face of great challenge, including the death of three daughters and a slow descent into Alzheimer’s, he was genial and gracious, quick with a story and a chuckle.
In addition to Constance, Doug’s survivors include his daughter Victoria Cain and her spouse Seth Weingram; sister Susan Owens and brother-in-law Jack Owens; nephew David Stephenson; and grandchildren Vivian and Caroline Cain-Weingram.
