James Nelson Brown

Jim died at 11:25 on the morning of February 10 after a long battle with fourth stage kidney failure. James Nelson Brown was born to Nelson Thomas Brown and Alice Mary (Brown) Brown on November 23, 1934, in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Waiting for him at home were his sisters, Reva June and Mary Alice. He graduated from Hot Springs County High School in 1953. In July of 1957 he enlisted in the Army and served until December of that year. This was followed by five years of service in the reserves. He was a Cold War Warrior.

Jim worked for Shell Oil Company from January 1958 to December 1976, going to many different locations including: Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston. In December 1976 Jim went to work for Occidental Petroleum in Grand Junction, Colorado. With Oxy he spent time in Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia, before retiring from Oxy in April 1990. He also worked for Rust Geotech until September of 1996.

After retirement Jim spent many years doing volunteer tax prep through AARP and VITA. Jim enjoyed laughing, fishing, hunting, camping out, skiing, motorcycles, and golf. He loved doing all of these things best with family and friends. He also enjoyed reading and was rarely without a good book in hand.

Jim is survived by his wife; three children, Kevin (Tamera), Pam, and Mary; two granddaughters, Kristin and Kasey (Chris); and three great-granddaughters, Madison, Amelia, and Clara; sister, Mary Alice; sisters-in-law, JoAnn and Betty; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Reva June; and nephews, Bob, Luke, and Tom. We will miss his great smile and big booming laugh! In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Building Fund of St. Joseph Catholic Church, 230 N. 3rd street, Grand Junction, CO 81501 or HopeWest.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, February 19, 10:00 AM at St. Francis Catholic Church with Fr. Randy Oswald officiating,  Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery.

Jim wrote the following in January 2017: This is my story: I have tried to be accurate, but over the years, some details may have slipped away. My name is James Nelson Brown. I was born in Thermopolis, Wyoming, on November 23, 1934. My father was Nelson Thomas Brown. He was born in Center, Missouri, on August 1, 1896. My mother was Alice Mary Brown. She was born in Billings, Montana, on November 9, 1907. Dad owned and operated a Chrysler/Plymouth garage and repair shop. Mom was a registered nurse and for many years the Superintendent of Nurses at Hot Springs County Hospital. Thermopolis was a good place to grow up and most of my classmates became life-long friends. I graduated from high school in 1953 and went to Regis College in Denver. Colorado. I received a degree in business and accounting. I joined the Army Reserve and took basic training at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, in July of 1957. My first job was with Shell Oil Company in Billings, Montana. It was there that I met a lovely young girl, Esther Louise Frost, from Muscatine, Iowa, who also worked for Shell, Esther and I were married on November 5, 1960, in Billings, Montana. I worked 19 years for Shell and 13 years for Occidental Petroleum. During my working years, we moved over nine different times, including four years in Lima, Peru, and one year in Bogota, Colombia. Each time we would move, Esther, with her unique organization skills, would get the house packed up, the kids loaded, and move us to a new city and make a home for our family. During my journey God blessed me with a beautiful wife and three lovely children, Kevin, Pam, and Mary. As Saint Paul said, “I have fought a good fight and I have finished my course.” Kids, should I not be around, take good care of your mother, as you always have. Give her a lot of love and a lot of space. Love you all, Dad As the old Irish man said, “May I be in heaven before the Devil knows I’m gone.”

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Nelson Brown, please visit our floral store.