James Cook

James Arthur (Jim) Cook was born on May 13, 1944 to Fred Arthur and Mary Belle Cook in Aspen, Colorado.   Jim was a caretaker of people and places, and he passed away on December 31, 2018 while taking care of one of the properties he loved.  Jim’s father was a Ranger, and so he grew up in Colorado and Wyoming exploring beautiful public lands on foot and by horseback.  Jim graduated from high school in 1962 from Monte Vista High School.   He attended Fort Lewis College for a while and then went on an adventure in Alaska where he worked for the University of Alaska at their agronomy experiment station in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Jim enlisted in the Marines in 1966 and served his nation in the Vietnam War, an experience that he would wrestle with the rest of his life.  He married the woman who would become his wife of fifty years, Lois Elizabeth Lehman, on January 5th, 1969.  They had two children, Katrina Elizabeth Cook and Darren Arthur Cook, both born while Jim was living in Creede, Colorado, either working in the mining industry, for Tomkins Hardware, or while he was managing Broken Arrow Ranch. They then traveled back to Alaska where Jim continued to work for the University of Alaska before moving to Durango, Colorado in 1974 where Jim began his first sign company.  Jim moved to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1977 to expand his sign business, and he lived there the remainder of his life.   Jim worked in the sign industry for the first half of his professional life, but then in 1998 he began working with his son remodeling and maintaining residential and commercial Real estate.  His life’s joy was helping his family and friends (many of whom were work colleagues and tenants), and he found his work so rewarding that he never quite retired from it.  Jim enjoyed his trips to Wyoming, watching sports with his grandson, experiencing high school with his granddaughter, visiting with his coffee buddies, having a quiet lunch with his wife, reading the Bible, tracking his family’s movements on Life360, texting words of encouragement to his family, western movies, mules, managing remodeling projects, service to his church family, and taking care of his tenants.  Jim is survived by his wife, Lois; daughter Katie Cook, son Darren Cook, sister Marilyn Wintz, grandson Trevor Abbott, and granddaughters Jasmine Cook and Alexia Lewis. Jim would like donations to go Heart of Junction church at 755 North 4th Street in lieu of flowers.