James Underhill, Jr.

We are so sad to say that James C. “Jim” Underhill, Jr., our father, husband, and son, passed away early in the morning on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

Jim was like no other person in the world. He touched everyone's life around him and put others before himself every day. He dedicated his life to the service of others whether it be as a Boy Scout “doing a good turn daily” or as a State Trooper protecting the public, or in the Army as a JAG Officer. Jim of course was an Eagle Scout himself and later in life received the Boy Scout Silver Beaver award for exceptional character and distinguished service to the Denver Area Council. He gave 150% to everything he became involved in.

Jim took it upon himself to take care of his entire family. He helped his parents with anything they needed for decades and decades and he helped his brothers too. He cared for his wife dearly and did everything he could to make her comfortable and happy. He cared for his children with his whole heart. He loved to spend time with his niece and her children. Jim loved playing with kids and watching them explore the world.

Jim and Joanne welcomed Taurean Wilson, one of Jimmy's classmates and an occasional cub and boy scout, into their family for a year with open arms. Jim was a role model for Taurean, and in turn Taurean became a lifelong friend and very important part of the family.

Jim was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 29, 1954. Jim was a typical boy from Nebraska. He grew up fishing and camping. He had side jobs picking corn after school or selling sodas at the Nebraska Cornhuskers football games. In high school Jim was active in Speech and Debate, played football for a year or two, and played the trumpet in the high school marching band. He was a member of St. Luke Methodist Church in Lincoln, where he taught Sunday School classes and managed the children's Sunday School program for several years.  When the new church was built, Jim had the honor of turning the first shovel of dirt with a golden spade. At the age of 18, Jim was awarded the rank of Admiral in the Nebraska Navy by the personal recommendation of the Governor of Nebraska. He was awarded a full ride U.S. Army ROTC scholarship for his college education.  All this time, Jim worked after hours or full time during summers at a mall candy store (janitor), McDonald's, another burger joint (night manager), golf course (grounds maintenance), and other jobs to finance his post-college education. Jim was a Nebraska State Trooper assigned to the University Campus on night patrol during college. Jim was a Boy Scout as a kid and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In 1971 he went to the International Boy Scout Jamboree near Mt. Fuji, Japan.

Jim graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 1976 with a B.A. in history, political science, and military history.  The Vietnam War ended in Jim's senior year of college, so the Army postponed his active duty commitment.  Jim then went to American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C. where he earned his law degree in 1979.  It was while studying at American University that he met his future wife, Joanne Parsons. Jim entered the Army after law school as a Captain in the JAG Corps.  He did an unaccompanied one-year tour of duty as an Army prosecutor at Camp Casey, South Korea near the DMZ, and a three-year tour of duty at the Pentagon, where he represented the Army in court martial appeals at the U.S. Military Court of Appeals and married Joanne.  He later joined the Army active reserves, where he rose to the rank of Major.

Jim's Pentagon schedule ended at 3:00 and he had time on his hands while waiting for Joanne to get home from work.  So, he became the scoutmaster of the boy scout troop at a nearby inner city school.  Never one to do things half-heartedly, Jim taught skills and good attitudes at the popular weekly troop meeting and took the troop of 11- and 12-year-olds camping or hiking every month for several years.

When Jim retired from active duty, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney in the Tax Division, Criminal Section.  Despite the travel and time commitments, Jim continued as troop Scoutmaster.

In 1986 Jim and Joanne decided to move closer to their parents to raise their children and ended up in Greenwood Village, Colorado, then a sleepy town on the outer edge of the Denver metro area.  During Jim's childhood, his family would come to the mountains for camping vacations several times per year, and they had spent three years living in Broomfield, Colorado. Jim and Joanne bought a house on a hill with a panoramic view of the mountains because Jim wanted to look at them every day.  He loved the mountains.

Jim represented his homeowners association in an important lawsuit that preserved the residential nature of his neighborhood and later served as president of the HOA.  In the early 1990’s Jim was elected to the Greenwood Village City Council and served for several terms. He was proud of his city and was instrumental in turning it into the community it is now. Jim was a council member during the building of the new City Hall and Police Department and the development of Silo Park and Westlands Park.

Jim was adamant that his daughter join the Girl Scouts and his son join the Boy Scouts and even volunteered to be a leader in both troops to make it happen. Jim's #1 focus with scouting was getting kids out into the woods so they could experience nature and learn skills. Maureen earned her Gold Award (Girl Scout's highest award) and Jimmy earned his Eagle Scout (Boy Scout's highest rank). As Scoutmaster of Troop 457 Jim oversaw 25 boys earn their Eagle Scout awards.  As an Eagle Scout himself, Jim saw how the pursuit of the Eagle rank, a multi-year effort, had built his character.  He knew that if he could get others to gain that rank, the same experience would build their character in the same way.  Jim loved scouting and appreciated its positive influence on his life as well as others'.  He volunteered for all sorts of positions at the troop, District and Council levels and went to several National Jamborees and the 2003 International Jamboree in Thailand as a staff volunteer.  Jim earned the District Award of Merit and the Silver Beaver Award as recognition for all his hard work for the Denver Area Council.

In 1993 Jim left downtown law firms to hang out his shingle in the Denver Tech Center and began to build a private law practice of his own. Jim attracted clients as a result of his trial experience and Justice Department credentials as well as honest and trustworthy business practices that earned him respect and trust. He was dedicated to his clients and law practice.  Joanne joined him a year later and they formed Underhill & Underhill, P.C., where they practiced together for almost 20 years while raising their family. They shared the goals of helping their clients get the results they needed without spending unnecessary money or time.  Jim later became interested in alternative ways of providing legal services at even more affordable costs.  He worked to establish a new kind of law firm, one that his parents could afford to hire.

Jim retired from the legal business and dedicated his life to his family and the Denver Area Council Boy Scouts. Jim loved to take his dog, Cooper, to the dog park and watch him play or go for long walks with him. He spent his recent years fixing up the family home, replacing the roof, replacing the driveway, and remodeling so that it would be nice for Joanne and him in their retirement. Jim was looking forward to spending the last years of his life traveling the world with Joanne. Jim loved to travel, and he wanted to share the trips with his family.

Jim is survived by his wife, Joanne Parsons Underhill, his two children, Maureen and Jimmy Underhill, Jimmy's wife, Jasmin Rangel, Jim's mother, Helen Underhill, his two brothers, Randy and Rod Underhill, Rod's wife, Marianne Underhill, his nieces Angela Jennifer and Christina, and nephew Todd, and their families.

In lieu of flowers his family requests donations in Jim's name to Philmont Scout Ranch, Jim's favorite Boy Scout summer camp, to purchase a brick memorial in his name. Please send donations to: Harold White, National Scouting Museum, 17 Deer Run Rd., Cimarron, NM 87714. Please add the note “Jim Underhill's Memorial Brick” to the donation.