Timothy Jerome Papich, 62, beloved husband, father, brother, son,and friend, passed into eternal life July 23, 2024.
Tim was born into a family of five children in the Pintler Mountain Range town of Anaconda, Montana. After graduating from Anaconda High School, Tim went on to study at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, earning his B.S. in Construction Engineering Technology. Tim’s job search then brought him to Denver, Colorado where he lived with friends until he got his first long-term professional job at J.R. Howell Construction.
His many interests led him to take fun classes and brought him many friends, especially in the Catholic singles group he joined in the late 1980s, where he met his future wife Mary Scharenbroich. Tim and Mary were married in 1991 at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in downtown Denver, Colorado. Two daughters, Theresa and Sarah, completed their family by 1997. Tim earned his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado by driving to Boulder from Denver after work for a few years Boulder. That first job at Howell led to a forty-year career as a project manager in construction and data centers, a career in several different industries that was interesting and fulfilling for Tim. Truly though, his favorite aspect of his work always was getting to know and work with so many different kinds of people. For several years he taught project management classes at the University of Denver, a pursuit he greatly enjoyed.
Tim’s hobbies included fly fishing, rod building, cooking, reading, staying informed about current events and politics, watching the Denver Broncos, sharing stories with his family, camping, magic, playing games, growing tomatoes and herbs, travel, technology, and entertaining family and friends with delectable meals. He was an avid and accomplished fly tyer, maintaining and using an extensive array of books, materials, and tools. He served as President of the High Plains Drifters, a fly fishing club, and as president earned recognition for the club as a merit worthy U.S. chapter.
Tim lived his belief that family was the most important thing, and his actions and choices were always directed toward showing his love of his wife and daughters as well as his unfailing loyalty as a friend. He maintained high standards for himself and encouraged the same for others. In recent years Tim served as a lector at Masses at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, where he and the family were members for over twenty years. Tim always loved life and throughout his life demonstrated a wisdom far beyond his years. He knew from a young age that life was short and that it was to be appreciated and enjoyed. He intentionally spent time with each of his parents and kept in touch with his siblings. One of his greatest joys was to share the amazing food he prepared with friends and family. Tim was a builder – a builder of a beautiful home, marriage and family and a builder of fun and relationships.
He is greatly missed by his family, wife Mary Papich and daughters Theresa Papich and Sarah Papich and is survived by many other family members and friends who also loved him including his brothers Steve Papich, Mark Papich, and John Papich and sister Marianne Owen; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents Michael and Kathleen Papich and brothers Michael, Jeremy and Daniel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Home Builders Foundation Denver (hbfdenver.org/donate), an organization that helps Coloradoans with disabilities live independently.