James Cole

Littleton, CO – James (Jim) Leroy Cole, age 89, passed away on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

He was born January 7, 1931 in Greensburg, PA, to James Leroy and Gladys Mae (Thorn) Cole.

Jim grew up in Pennsylvania and spent his teen years in Florida with his grandmother and uncle. Jim was active in the Boy Scouts as a young man and was an Eagle Scout. Jim was a 1950 graduate of Clearfield High School. In October 1950, he joined the Navy and served during the Korean War as a Quarter Master Signalman until August 1954. During his services, he was stationed on the USS Boxer (CV-21), the USS Point Cruz (CVE-119), and the US Badoeng Strait (CVE-116). In 2014, he was awarded the Ambassador for Peace Medal from the Korean Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs.

On December 29, 1952, Jim was married to E. Marie Diehl in her hometown of Trona, CA and he adored her for 67 years. Together, they enjoyed raising a family of 3 children and traveling during their retirement years. They made their home in Southern California for 28 years before moving to Colorado.

Jim worked for over 40 years as a mechanisms engineer for Aerojet (CA) and then Martin Marietta (CO).

With a love of the outdoors, every summer was spent taking his family camping from coast-to-coast. Never one to pass up an opportunity to visit a national park, he hoped he could visit them all.

Accomplished at any do-it-yourself project, he was known for having a well-organized shop. He always said you can never have enough tools. He is well-remembered for always being available to help build a workbench or showing up with a whirly-gig hummingbird he’d made for you. Whether it was fixing something around the house or building a crib for his infant son or a deck for the backyard, you could always find him working on something.

Jim also had a lifelong passion for all things aviation and space related – from design to building, observation and history. When not behind a drafting table, you could find him gazing through a telescope, building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, reading or watching documentaries about space and aviation. On July 20, 1969 he told his children that something important was about to happen that they would always remember and he led them to the television room to witness the first landing on the moon. His nephews and nieces recall how, as children, they were excited to announce to their friends that their uncle was a rocket scientist!

Jim deeply loved his family and many of his characteristics live on through his children and grandchildren – curiosity, imagination, exploration, strength of conviction, detailed thinking & organizing. If you ever needed directions Jim could draw you up a plan (always in block printing) with more detail than any map you’ve ever purchased.  He is survived by his wife, Marie; his daughter Jennifer (Bruce) Bradbury of Indiana; his son James (Shanna) of Colorado; his granddaughter, Sara (Bill) Blevins of Indiana; two great-grandchildren, Franklin (8) and Valerie (4) Blevins; his brother, Stokes (Barbara) of Florida; his sister, Sharon (Dick) Lope of Pennsylvania, plus many nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death are his parents; sisters: Gloria Adams, Rosemary McCorkle, and daughter, Audrey Cole.

Jim’s ashes will be buried at Seven Stones Chatfield (CO) alongside his daughter.

The family suggests memorial donations be made to the National Park Foundation.

https://donate.nationalparks.org/page/23790/donate/1?_ga=2.74457300.790494905.1589587550-1672280576.1589587550