At 43 years old, Joseph Phillip Thurston of Denver, Colorado passed away in his sleep on April 16, 2019. He was the proud husband of Jenn Thurston and father to Olivia Grace, Abigail (Abby) Mae and Emma Susan.

The son of Jinohn and David Thurston, Joe was born in North Platte, Nebraska on January 6, 1976. He loved computers, playing Nintendo and learning how things worked while he was growing up.

He attended Shaffer Elementary, Deer Creek Middle School and graduated Chatfield High School in 1994. He received a 1982 CJ-7 Jeep as a high graduation present which was one of his prized possessions for more than 20 years. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Finance from Fort Lewis College in Durango and his Master's in Accounting from the University of Colorado, Denver campus.

As described by his daughter Olivia, he was strong, nice, kind, caring, supportive and brave. ""He tried to do something new and if it might not work, he would try again,"" she shared with pride.

A patient, supportive Dad, he loved helping his girls get involved with sports. He was a soccer coach for them and he enjoyed watching his girls swim. He joked that if they worked hard enough, they might just have a chance at a sports scholarship.

Joe had a passion for life and making things better. He would start small and then work to perfect something. He learned to brew his own beer and then he took it one step further by building a basement from scratch complete with a bar and computerized brewery. As a talented woodworker, Joe loved to build and was always lending a hand to others to help them with house projects. He was a loyal neighbor and dear friend to many, always taking the time to stop and visit with others. He also enjoyed hunting and sports.

Always looking for a new challenge, Joe had recently accepted a new Finance Manager role for OrthoColorado and Centura Health.

Joe is survived by his wife Jenn, three daughters, his parents, his brother Jon and his wife Holly Thurston; sister Andrea Carter, nephews Reid, Liam and Burke Thurston and nieces Katy and Ashley Carter. He also leaves behind many aunts, uncle and cousins, in addition to many friends who will miss him dearly.

He is preceded in death by both sets of his grandparents and three uncles.

Family and friends are encouraged to attend the visitation service Tuesday, April 23 from 6pm-8pm at Horan & McConaty located at 11150 E. Dartmouth Avenue (I-225 and South Parker Road) in Aurora. The funeral will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at Montview Presbyterian Church on 1980 Dahlia Street in Denver.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund to help Jenn and the girls through this transition has been set up on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/v35mm4-in-memory-of-joe-thurston (“Support Jenn, Olivia, Abby & Emma Thurston”)

 

 

Visitation: April 23, 2019 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Horan & McConaty - SE Denver/Aurora
11150 E. Dartmouth Ave.
Aurora, CO 80014

Funeral Service: April 24, 2019 2:00 pm

Montview Presbyterian Church
1980 Dahlia Street
Denver, CO 80220