James Lazzeri

James Robert (Jim) Lazzeri passed away peacefully on April 1, 2023, at home, surrounded by his family at the age of 82.

Born in Denver, Jim attended Lakewood High School where he excelled in athletics and earned a full-ride scholarship to play football at CU, Boulder.  Being a cowboy at heart he decided to leave CU after his first season and instead head west to the cow town of Gunnison, CO where he finished at Western State College playing football and running track. There he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and upon graduation, began a career as a stockbroker with Boettcher & Co. where he worked for over 40 years.

Jim married Jo Lynn Cowling in 1964, and together they had three daughters. He later married Ann Perkins in 1988 whom he shared the remainder of his life with. He is survived by his wife, Ann, daughters, Traci (Dan), Kelli (Kirk) and Kate (Mike), stepdaughter, Jodi, stepson, Andy (Jen), four grandchildren, Hanna, Ellie, Emma and Abby, and four younger siblings. He was predeceased by older brother, Dick and stepdaughter, Lori.

While he was a stockbroker and lived in the city, his heart was in the west. It wasn’t long before Gunnison County drew him back, and in 1972 he purchased a ranch in Cimarron, CO where he and his family spent their summers. If he wasn’t on a horse or in a river with his fly rod, he spent time collecting clocks, western art, and Native American antiquities.

His devotion to family was of utmost importance to him. It was always a priority to be there for his children’s and later grandchildren’s events, whether it was sports, performances, award ceremonies, or just spending quality time with family. He was a man of great faith, and led by example, teaching his kids the importance of living life with strong values, humility, and integrity. He will always be loved and remembered for those admirable qualities and also for his dry sense of humor, his homemade spaghetti sauce, and his famous sourdough pancakes.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, April 13 at 10:00am at Hillside Community Church, 103 N Ford St, Golden, CO 80403. A reception will follow at the Church. Services will be livestreamed and can be viewed here: https://youtube.com/@hillsidecommunitychurch9906

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Jim’s love of Native American heritage and his desire to serve his community by giving to local food banks, please consider donating to either of the following foundations:

Community Table – cotable.org

Native American Heritage Association - naha-inc.org