Obituary: James Grey Postle

May 23, 1938 - May 20, 2021

James Grey Postle of Niwot, Colorado passed away on May 20, 2021 peacefully at home after a lengthy illness. His crystal-clear blue eyes, positive outlook, infectious smile, and dry sense of humor will be missed by all who loved him.

"Jimmy" was born on May 23, 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio to William and Evelyn Postle. He grew up in Southern California and graduated from Dorsey High School. His beloved mother died at the young age of 44, leaving Jim heartbroken, but resilient. He served in the Air Force Reserves and attended college on the GI Bill. He graduated from the UCLA College of Engineering in 1962 and married fellow UCLA grad Virginia Zimmer in 1964.

Jim had many careers during his life. With his work ethic and confidence, he knew he could succeed at whatever he attempted. Jim's first job out of college was with Hughes Aircraft in California where he worked on one of the first COMSAT communication satellite projects. When he knew he wanted to explore different careers, he purchased a farm in Montrose, Colorado and with no experience, dove into farming. He loved farming and would continue farming in some capacity throughout his life. His engineering career continued as he joined Ball Aerospace in Boulder. Jim and Virginia raised their family in a home that Jim built at the base of Haystack Mountain outside of Niwot.

Building their home opened a path to Jim's next and most successful career, as a homebuilder. Beginning by building one home at a time, he eventually formed the James Company. Under Jim's leadership, the James Company grew to become a prominent homebuilding and development company with projects throughout the Front Range.

Jim married Carolyn Bradley in 1991. They shared a love for the outdoors, hiking, skiing, sailing, travel and Western Contemporary art. During this time, Jim built a home on his ranch in Grand County. This was absolutely his favorite place on earth.

In 2009, Jim married Anne Olson. He and Anne shared a home full of love, fun, friends, laughter and family. His constant energy and work ethic never allowed Jim to fully retire. Once he sold his homebuilding company, he stepped back into farming full time at his farm in Mead, Colorado. He loved spending the day in the field on a tractor, with his beloved dog, Izzy, by his side.

Jim was a master woodworker, and he used his free time to create beautiful pieces of furniture. When things were quiet on the farm, he loved hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, reading history books, traveling, eating See's chocolates and Rockies baseball.

Jim was introduced to Children's Hospital when his daughter Tracy was 4 and a heart issue was discovered. He was always grateful to Children's for the great care given to his daughter. He was honored to serve as a member of the Children's Hospital Foundation Board, and in 2002 established the Postle Family Chair in Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Jim is preceded in death by his mother, Evelyn Postle Moskowitz and older brother, William Postle. He is survived by his wife, Anne Postle, his sister Suzanne Barrett (Dennis), his son Brian Postle (Kimberly), daughter Jamie Feran (Sean), daughter Tracy Postle, stepchildren Seth Olson (Joseph), Samuel Olson (Erin Daniel), and Abigail Olson, and grandchildren Garett Postle, Sydney Postle, Shannon Feran, Owen Feran, and Boden Postle.

Even as Jim's illness progressed, he did not slow down. He and his caregiver, Mary, took on delivering the Left Hand Valley Courier, and made regular runs to the See's Candy store in Loveland, with his sweet dog Lucy by his side.

A memorial service will take place July 10 at St. John's Episcopal Church. Contact Jamie Feran at [email protected] for service and reception information. In lieu of flowers, tributes may be sent in memory of James Postle to Children's Hospital Foundation, PO Box 5585, Denver, CO 80217-5585.