Thomas James Golden
Obituaries
Daily Sentinel page 4C - March 21, 2021
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 plus 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 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 on
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 daughters, Amy Golden (Rob Goodson), of
Oakland, CA, and Cara Golden of Denver; grandchildren, Josie
Skye Golden Goodson, Henry Michael Golden Goodson, and
August James Golden Goodson. He was predeceased by wife,
Marjorie; his parents; 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.
