James Clark Hamp

James Clark Hamp was born Oct 26, 1959 in Midland Michigan. He graduated from Trenton High School in Trenton, Michigan. He joined the Air Force and served in the NORAD center at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs. He married Kelly Sutton and while married they had two children. He attended Colorado Technical University and graduated from there. Jim worked for Oracle where he taught classes and was employed for many years. He died peacefully at his home in Denver Colorado on September 16, 2018, surrounded by his long time friend adopted family and caregiver Kema Ellison and her family who also helped care for him. Jim was a swimmer and cross country runner in high school. He learned to play guitar because his voice and love of music demanded an outlet. John Denver’s music spoke to his heart and he knew every one of his songs. Jim and his brother and sometimes sister were often found playing duets or dueling with their guitars. He attended and was baptized in First Baptist church Trenton, Michigan. Jim was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in his 20’s and began a fierce, courageous journey to live an influential and meaningful life. He succeeded. He never let the disease define him and he always had a smile on his face. People who were close to him marveled at his love and pursuit of life and his persistent optimism. Jim was a bridge player, chess player, and a player and officiant at Magic the Gathering. His Magic card collection was a prized possession. . He read voraciously when younger and was a Trekkie and Science fiction fan. He had loyal and long term friends as he moved around the country. - mostly between various locations in Michigan and Colorado. Jim, or James, as he preferred to be called is survived by his children, Jennifer Nicole Hamp (Brandi)and Christopher Sutton, adopted family Kema Ellison and kids Brittany, Patricia, De-Vante and Olivia of Denver. his mother Karen Hamp of Whitmore Lake Michigan, his brother, Bob Hamp (Polly) Of Grapevine Texas, and sister Pam Hamp Wetzel( Doug ) of Dexter Michigan. As a memorial Contributions may be sent to: St Jude Childrens Research Hospital PO Box 1000 dept 142 Memphis TN 38148-0142 Service: Monday, October 1, 2018 @ 10:00 AM St. Paul's Community Church 8001 W. 23rd. Ave. Lakewood, CO 80214 Interment: Fort Logan National Cemetery @ 12:00 PM Staging Area "A"