Thomas Golden

Jim Golden, 90, passed away at Aspen Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Grand Junction, Colorado
on Saturday, March 13, 2021.
Thomas James Golden was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, on June 28, 1930, to Thomas Sullivan Golden
and Margaret (Purcell) Golden. Grandson of James Purcell, who settled in Grand Junction in 1882, and
Mary Louise (Stoeckle) Purcell, who moved to the Grand Valley as a homesteader, he was the first of
four children. After a house fire in Carlsbad in 1931, his family returned to Grand Junction where he
attended St. Joseph School for K-8th, and high school at the Abbey in Canon City. He attended college
for one year at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, then transferred to the University of Colorado,
Boulder, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in economics and a law degree in 1954. Drafted
while in school, he deferred his military service to complete his education, so upon graduation he spent
two years in the Army, serving in Germany during the Korean War, where he was a clerk in the U.S.
Military Court. He developed a lifelong love of travel while serving in Germany. Upon his return to
Grand Junction, he began his 50+ years of private law practice when he joined the firm Haynie &
Hotchkiss in 1956 as an Associate. He soon became a partner at the firm Haynie & Golden and
eventually senior partner for decades at Golden, Mumby, Summers, Livingston & Kane. He loved
practicing law and felt fortunate to have chosen a profession he enjoyed so much. He continued to go
to his office as long as he was able and enjoyed walking around downtown and chatting with people at
the Main Street Café.
He was politically active and engaged in community service. Locally, he served as President of the Mesa
County Bar Association, Chair of the Central Committee of the Mesa County Democrats, and as a
member of the Grand Junction Planning & Zoning Commission. At the state level, he served on the State
Commission for Judicial Qualifications and the Highway Commission. When Governor Lamm appointed
him to the Highway Commission in 1978, he was the first commissioner appointed from Mesa County
since the 1920s. During his tenure, the state completed the Edwin C. Johnson tunnel and adopted and
implemented the expansion of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon from two to four lanes. An active
Democrat, he served as an alternate delegate for McGovern at the 1972 Democratic National
Convention, and as a delegate for Tsongas at the 1992 Convention. He was a local leader in Jesse
Jackson’s 1988 Presidential Campaign in Mesa County. An independent thinker, he was not reluctant to
take positions contrary to popular opinion.
He met Marjorie Louise Hafner while she was working at Boetcher Stock Brokerage in the late 1960s.
They eloped and were married at the St. Louis Cathedral New Orleans, LA on January 24, 1970. They
would recall that because Marjorie was not Catholic, church rules required they be married in the
priest’s office rather than the sanctuary. They had two daughters, Amy Marie in 1971 and Cara Aileen in
1973. He was a devoted father, joining his daughters for lunch at Scenic Elementary, attending
Halloween parades, conferences, and sporting events. He shared his love of humor, travel, and skiing
with them. Despite having never played soccer, he bought a soccer ball, learned the rules, and taught
them to play. Later, he became a volunteer referee to support their interest in the sport. We will miss
his wit, appreciation of life, open mindedness, and intellectual curiosity.
He enjoyed tennis, running, and handball until a knee injury in his 50s. During a vacation in Italy in 1990,
he spontaneously joined a bike tour, which led him to become an avid cyclist, and he completed
numerous bike tours in Colorado. He continued riding well into his 70s until a serious accident
Colorado National Monument in 2007.
He was proud of his family’s history in Mesa County and enjoyed sharing those stories. For many years
he acted as Manager for the James Purcell Heirs, overseeing properties that have been in the family
since the late 1800s.
In his later years he developed dementia, a complex disease that in his case caused him to be distrusting
of friends and even family at times. We share this because we believe increased openness will lead to
less isolation for people with dementia and their families. A special thank you to the staff at Aspen
Ridge and HopeWest Hospice for helping us to navigate this disease, your care and dedication to Jim was
a gift. Despite his losses from dementia, he continued to have a close relationship with his family,
enjoyed reading newspapers and the New Yorker, taking large handfuls from candy jars, and visits with
family, including over Skype during the pandemic.
He is survived by his daughters, Amy Golden and her husband, Rob Goodson, of Oakland, CA, and Cara
Golden of Denver; three grandchildren, Josie Skye Golden Goodson, Henry Michael Golden Goodson,
and August James Golden Goodson; He was predeceased by his wife Marjorie, his parents, his brother,
Gerald Golden, and sisters Patricia (Golden) Mehs and Aileen (Golden) England.
A private celebration of life will take place in the summer. Memorial charitable contributions can be made to HopeWest hospice.