A wealth of giving

Among those who shared the privilege of knowing Joe Breiteneicher, the story of the sheet is legend.

During a grueling regimen of chemotherapy that left him bedridden for a few days, a nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess came by to take him for a walk. After the walk, she propped him up in a chair and innocently asked if he wanted her to throw a sheet over him.

"I'd really like to avoid that," he quipped.

Breiteneicher, the head of The Philanthropic Initiative, died on June 22 after a 14-month battle with gastrointestinal cancer. He was 62 and lived in Braintree. His specialty, professionally speaking, was helping very rich people figure out the most effective way to give away their millions. He did that and much more with boundless passion and more than a little humor.

Breiteneicher's influence was not limited to philanthropy. He took a keen interest in waterfront development and was the driving force behind the creation of the water shuttle that runs from Long Wharf to the South Shore.

He was also one of the founders of the Civil Rights Project Inc., the financial arm of Henry Hampton's Blackside Productions, which produced the legendary documentary "Eyes on the Prize," a history of the civil rights movement.

He spent much of his early career raising money for nonprofits. His wife, Marsha, said yesterday that he considered it a logical progression to go from raising money to giving it away.

"He loved giving his typical spiel to wealthy families," Marsha Breiteneicher said. He challenged them, she said, to think hard about their wealth, asking: "How much do you need? How much is enough? After you take care of your children, what do you care about? What moves you? What do you want to do with that money?"

He believed that donors were often cautious and uncreative and urged them to forge strategies that would yield greater results. Instead of funding one homeless shelter, they might be able to build thousands of units of housing for homeless families. One of his clients, the Melville Foundation, has done just that.

"He just really loved helping donors do good things with their money," said Melinda Marble, executive director of the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation.

He was proudest, friends say, of his relationship with Hampton. Raising the money to produce "Eyes" was not easy, and Breiteneicher was part of a group that helped to do it.

"The first time that series came on television we were just overwhelmed," Marsha Breiteneicher said. "It was incredible, and that was all Henry."

Breiteneicher's diagnosis of inoperable cancer left little room for hope, but he refused to view it that way. True to his leftist heart, he formed an organization called "Cancer Patients for Impeachment" and handed out buttons in the hospital's hallways. He wore a funny orange wig to chemo and had pictures sent to all his friends. When his children gave him an iPod, his friends were encouraged to send him their favorite songs, the cheesier the better, and they cheerfully complied.

"He loved his life, he loved his family, and he fought against an impossible diagnosis," his friend Monique Doyle Spencer said. A cancer survivor herself, she became a frequent chemo companion. "He didn't expect me to sit there and talk to him about chemotherapy. He expected me to tell him jokes."

He also kept talking to people seeking his counsel. During one chemotherapy session, several hours long, he advised a member of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, a group of performing medical professionals, about fund-raising and board management.

Breiteneicher planned his memorial service, to be held July 14 at the Old South Meeting House. His plans called for a string quartet, good wine, and good food. A portion of the Longwood Symphony has volunteered to take care of the music. As befits the memory of a man with such a robust appetite for life, the food and wine will be plentiful.

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.