Michael Dean James
Marriages
Diana L. Jacobson - September 1978
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B Death Notice - July 19, 2017
Michael Dean James, 58, Grand Junction, died July 15, 2017,
in Grand Junction.
Services will take place at 11 a.m. July 26 at Canyon View Vineyard
Church.
He was a landscaper and worked in construction.
Survivors include one son, Michael D. James Jr. of Washington;
mother, Shirley D. Hayes of Fruita; father Doyle W. James of Littleton;
one brother, Steven D. James of Fruita; and two sisters, Jackie
L. Delong and Cozette M. McCarty-Pease, both of Fruita.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - July 23, 2017
Michael passed away
peacefully with family and
friends by his side in the early
hours of Saturday, July 15,
2017, at St. Mary’s Hospital.
He had been admitted
Tuesday, July 11, with a quick
onset of sepsis, they think
came from a bad gall bladder.
He was born to Doyle W..
James and Shirley D. (Bluck)
Hayes in Denver, CO. He joined his mother and siblings moving
to Fruita, CO in 1961. He attended grade school through high
school in Fruita, and would have been in the Class of 1978 of
FMHS. He later obtained his GED. In September, 1978 he
married Diana L. Jacobson, from Denver, in Fruita, CO. They
later divorced.
Mike had learned from his step-father, Jack Hayes, as a youth
about installing irrigation systems. When he and Diana moved
to Denver, he started his own landscaping/irrigation business.
In his early years, Michael beat Testicular Cancer.
Later, he and Diana sold their Denver home and purchased
their fifth wheel. They and "Bear", their beloved dog moved to
El Cajon, CA (San Diego area), where he got on with Rain Bird
as a trouble-shooting tech. After his divorce, he had a
relationship resulting in the birth of his son, Michael D. James,
Jr., who is currently in the Army and deployed to Afghanistan.
Michael Jr.’s wife, Breanna, resides in Washington State and is
pregnant. This would have been Micheal’s first grandchild.
Mike moved back to the Denver area in June of 1996, working
odd jobs and eventually ended up working for TCI
Construction/Mining and lived in Idaho Springs, CO. He
worked on the new larger road up to Blackhawk and Central
City.
In 2008 he was injured in an altercation which resulted in a
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), bringing him back to the Grand
Junction area, so he would be closer to his family and for rehab.
He overcame a lot of the TBI, relearning how to walk and speak
again. He eventually got to the point where he was able to live
on his own and did quite well for himself. He was a member of
AA, and liked watching the Broncos on t.v. We all knew Mike
to be a straight forward outspoken man, which frequently
created problems for him, but he was loved by many. One thing
instilled in Mike clear back from his childhood, he was a
Survivor!
He is survived by his father, Doyle W. James of Littleton, CO;
mother, Shirley D. Hayes of Fruita; son, Michael D. (Breanna)
James, Jr. of Washington; brother, Steven D. James; sisters,
Cozette "Cozy" (Lee) McCarty-Pease, and Jackie L. (Kevin)
DeLong; nephew, Devin T. James; nieces, Sarah and Leigha
DeLong, all from Fruita, CO. He was preceded in death by both
sets of grandparents; step-father, Jack Hayes, and step-brother,
Rick Nichols.
We’d like to send a special thank you out to Dr. Gustafson, the
many doctors and people that helped him since his TBI. As well
as the St. Mary’s care team that took care of him in his last days
of need, especially ICU Dr. Lambert and all the nurses.
He will be greatly missed by all.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at
Canyon View Vineyards Church Chapel, 736 24 1/2 Road,
Grand Junction on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.
Donations may be made in his name to St. Mary’s Hospital.
