James M. "Jim" Byrom
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B - May 12, 2021
James M. Byrom
February 5, 1932 - May 4, 2021
James “Jim” Byrom was born
February 5, 1932, in Gatesville,
Texas, to Claud and Lucy
Byrom. He earned a business
degree from the University
of Texas at Austin and served
two years in the U.S. Navy.
After a short stint in Dallas,
he moved to Utah. All through
the 1960s, he taught business
classes and photography at
Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, along with becoming
the school business manager. It was there that he met the love of
his life, Lois Eleanor Vinton, and they were married in 1965. To
them three beautiful children were born, Jack, of Grand Junction;
Katy, of Grand Junction, and Glen, of Baysville, Ontario, Canada.
Mr. Byrom earned an MBA from Western State University of
Gunnison, Colorado.
In 1975, Mr. Byrom took a position as the head bookkeeper for
W.R. Hall & Sons Construction in Grand Junction, Colorado, and
soon thereafter moved his family there from Utah. He was a skilled
tax preparer and had his own tax business in Grand Junction and
also did work for H&R Block. He finished out his working career at
the Grand Junction Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities
as a psychiatric technician and was beloved there for his humor,
hard work, and versatility, retiring from that position in 1997.
Mr. Byrom was a renowned coffee aficionado and lover of cafés.
He had a legendary coffee drinking career in Grand Junction that
began in 1975 and spanned decades; he ended this coffee career
at the Trailhead Café on Monument Road. He was a talented
photographer and for a while performed professional wedding
photography. He loved to spend time with his family and enjoyed
many hiking, camping, and road trips with them all over the west
and Texas. He had a powerful mind and a love of books, history,
and music, and was an expert crossword puzzle solver. He kept in
touch with family, friends, and former students all over the country,
and was especially loved by his friends from Texas.
His wife, Lois, preceded him in death in 1998. He is survived by
their children, Jack, Glen (Melinda Zytaruk), and Katy; grandson,
Lee Mica (from Glen and Melinda); nephews, David Byrom and
Bill and Bob Byrom; nieces, Sue Dixon (Byrom), Ann Moss, and
Jean Rhoden-Gill (Moss), and numerous other relatives.
Arrangements were made through Browns Cremation & Funeral
Service and the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to ChildFund
International