John Robert Fryar

Longtime Colorado newspaper reporter John Fryar died early Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Berkley Manor in Denver. From there, he was constantly connected to friends, colleagues and relatives via daily Facebook expressions. John was comforted in his final weeks and days by visits from and constant prayers of his family.

John Robert Fryar was born on May 16, 1946, in Stratton, Nebraska, to Harry and Ann Fryar. He graduated from Scottsbuff, Nebraska, High School and the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he later taught journalism while on a one-year sabbatical, and he attended graduate school at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

John was devoted to his career of 50 years as a newspaper beat reporter, doing what he loved and did best, covering state and local government and Colorado politics. He was a meticulous reporter and careful writer with a laser focus on the details whether on the police beat or covering the Colorado General Assembly.

John began his newspaper career at the Des Moines Tribune, the Des Moines Register’s afternoon sister paper, where he covered city and county government before heading west to join his family in Colorado. He spent nearly 40 years at the Longmont Times-Call where he estimated his byline appeared in the Times-Call – and sister papers the Boulder Daily Camera and Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald- most every day on stories about city, county and state government.

A testament to his skill and devotion to careful reporting was heard in tributes to John from Colorado legislators who rose in the House chamber to praise his work in speeches recognizing John’s years covering the state Capitol. Former Times-Call editors and reporters gave similar tributes to John when he retired in 2022.

“I always could count on John to be fair, to be thorough and to get his facts straight. He put a premium on accuracy, which is something I’ve always appreciated about him,” Times-Call Editor John Vahlenkamp said when John retired. “When we needed a reporter to step in to interview a legislator, the governor, a U.S. representative or senator, we turned to John, because he did his homework and always asked relevant, pointed questions.”

Aside from journalism, John’s great passion was reading. His apartment overflowed with books that spilled out of bookcases onto the floor, tables and chairs, and his regular trips to Boulder could see him emerging from his favorite bookstore with a bag of books and magazines to be devoured later. For John, heaven would have a well stocked library and endless time for reading.

Left to cherish and preserve his memory are brother Msgr. Tom Fryar of Denver, sisters Kristie Becker (Jim) of Keizer, Oregon, and Teresa Laird (Rox) of Des Moines, sister-in-law Terri Fryar of Highlands Ranch, nephews, nieces and grand-nephews and grand-nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Richard Fryar.