James “Jimmy” LeRoy Anderson, age 49, of Oak Creek, Colorado passed away peacefully with his family on Friday, May 17, 2024. He was at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado after experiencing a cardiac event and medical emergency on the prior Sunday. James was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend to many.
James was born on June 21, 1974, in Steamboat Springs, CO, to Lee G. and Susan “Sue” A. Anderson of Grand Junction, CO. He grew up in Rifle, CO where he developed a love for all things fast, especially cars, from a very young age. When he wasn't lovingly teasing his two sisters, Heidi and Sara, he was working with his grandpa in their family-owned NAPA store and machine shop. This love for machine parts and making things work stuck with him his entire life. At the age of 16, he was involved in a serious car accident that left him with a significant head injury. He had to relearn how to walk, talk, and manage emotional and physical issues related to his traumatic brain injury. Through extreme grit and determination, he was able to graduate from high school with his classmates at Rifle High School in 1992. He worked for Rifle Auto Parts and Radio Shack while in high school and saved money to purchase a Toyota pickup to drive to college. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in the spring of 1996 with a degree in accounting. It was at this time that he began his life-long career at Routt County Auto Parts. On August 31, 2000, his first daughter, Cori Curtis, was born. Although most of their relationship was long-distance, James loved Cori deeply and always kept a special place for her in his heart.
James had a very keen mind for numbers, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, great-grandfather, and uncles in the auto parts business. He was a devoted and very hard-working businessman who genuinely cared about the customers that he served. He often remembered small details about them and their vehicles that others would easily forget and would go to great lengths to provide great service and help others in any way he could.
James married Courtney Long on May 12, 2018, after a lifetime of loving each other and raising a beautiful little girl, Makinly Long, side by side. They resided on the Long Family ranch north of Oak Creek for the rest of their marriage. They continued to raise Makinly together, creating a cherished life full of faith, livestock, service, and family. They spent most weekends together enjoying God's creation through ranching, hunting, fishing, and camping trips with family. James was always looking forward to planning the next trip together for his little family.
James has helped many people through his service at NAPA, but his life was an exemplary picture of servant leadership. He also served as a volunteer on the Yampa Fire Protection District and was a member of the Elk Mountain Masonic Lodge #118 of Steamboat Springs. He was a Master Mason, serving as Master twice. He spent countless hours volunteering with both FFA and 4H programs and had a passion for helping the youth in the community, as well as others who couldn't help themselves. James didn't seek the spotlight but could always be found helping others behind the scenes in ways that often went unnoticed.
James was preceded in death by paternal grandparents LeRoy Anderson and Barbara Marie Bauman Anderson, maternal grandparents James Edward vanTeylingen & Sara Jewell Streenan vanTeylingen, and uncles Roger E. Anderson and John A. vanTeylingen. He is survived by his wife, Courtney Anderson, daughters Cori Curtis (of Mosca, CO) and Makinly Long, parents Lee and Sue Anderson (of Grand Junction, CO), and sisters Heidi Bailey (husband Carl and children Meghan, Curtis, Spencer, and Annemarie of Castle Rock, CO), and Sara Anderson (partner Evan Boynton of Arvada, CO ), as well as many brothers-and-sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
Public services to honor James will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 2:00 pm at South Routt Elementary School in Yampa, CO.
Donations can be made in his honor to any Mountain Valley Bank location. There is a memorial account set up in Courtney Anderson's name in memory of James Anderson.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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