Long-time resident James Michael Lenahan, 75, passed away peacefully at the Pathways Hospice Center at McKee Medical Center on June 21, 2019. Michael died from complications of prostate cancer, which he battled for nine years.
Michael was born on February 8, 1944 to Helen Pauline Laughlin Lenahan and James Richard Lenahan in Jefferson City, MO. The second oldest and the only boy among sisters, he often referred to himself as “the rose among thorns.”
Michael graduated from Eudora High School, Eudora, KS, in 1962, married his high school sweetheart, Anna Eldridge, and enlisted in the United States Air Force where he was stationed in Biloxi, MS and in the Azores. Upon discharge, he worked for Kansas City Power & Light and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1973 from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. A short stint for Eastman Kodak in New York in 1974 led the young family to Colorado where they made their home for the next 42 years. Michael worked as an electrical engineer for Climax Molybdenum and Eastman Kodak. He retired from Kodak in December, 2001.
Michael loved Colorado with all the wildlife and outdoor adventure activities. In earlier years he enjoyed fishing, boating, skiing, bow hunting, and spending time in his beloved mountains. Upon retirement, he and Anna traveled to Alaska, Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States and wintered in Arizona for many years.
Michael’s early experiences as a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout instilled a passion that would serve him well in his post-retirement years. After carving a wooden clasp for a Boy Scout neckerchief as a child, he later renewed his interest in wood carving and transitioned into wood sculpting, developing into a master craftsman. He taught wood carving and wood crafting classes and earned earned a number of awards from wood crafting competitions and shows in Colorado and Arizona. One of his last efforts was teaching several classes to professional staff of the Cancer Center to share his love of carving.
Michael’s love of family, humor, problem-solving skills, faith, spirit of fun and playfulness, open heart and mind, and love of people endeared him to all he knew. The absence of his presence will be missed in the lives of so many who knew and loved him.
Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Helen Lenahan. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Anna Eldridge Lenahan, daughters Kim (Randy) Kohn, Christine (Rick) Adams, five grandchildren, Emily Kohn (Dain) Ussery, Lyndsey Kohn, Hannah Kohn, Megan Adams, and Michael Adams, and one great-granddaughter, Raegan Elyse Ussery. Other survivors include sisters Suzanne Lenahan, Sister Mary Pat Lenahan, Therese Lenahan, Julie Cogley, and Joan (Chris) Porter.
The family would like to thank the professional staff of the UC Health Cancer Center of the Rockies for their loving care and support during Michael’s illness.
Services are scheduled for 10:30am, July 2, 2019, at Allnutt Funeral Home at 2100 N Lincoln Ave, Loveland, CO 80538.
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