James Herbert Whelton

James (Jim) Herbert “Valentine” Whelton passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family, on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Born on February 14, 1932 (thus the “Valentine” he inserted into his name), in Dice Michigan above a dance hall owned by his parents, Joseph and Eileen Whelton. Though born to it, Jim was never known to be a great dancer. A child of the Depression and World War II, Jim’s early years were spent on the family farm, which the family purchased after deciding a dance hall would not be an appropriate place to raise their growing family. He recounted many humorous tales of his youth with his five siblings, Robert “Bob” (Eloise), William “Bill” (Laura), Virginia (Walter), Elaine (Kenneth), and Mary Joe (Ronald), including the pig he named after his little sister (Mary Joe) and how they were so poor that for Christmas they couldn’t afford a tree so they decorated their father with ornaments made from various farm staples. Jim narrowly avoiding being drafted into the Army during the Korean conflict by joining the U.S. Navy in 1951, serving in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. His was one of the first U.S. warships to enter Spanish ports following the Spanish civil war. Following his Naval service, he worked various jobs before graduating with an Associates degree in Agricultural Science and joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture where he retired in the mid-Eighties. Jim’s priority was family. He met his wife Judith “Judy” in 1961 and with her two girls (Lynn and Tamela) they began their family, with Jim adopting the girls in 1964. Over the course of the next ten years, they added to the family, with the births of three boys (James, Robert, and Daniel.) During his position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture they moved several times, from the farm outside Dewitt, MI, to a farm outside Hillman, MI, to Loveland, CO, to De Soto, IA, and finally to Arvada, CO. The family grew along the way, eventually having five children, twelve grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren with one on the way. Jim’s life was testament to his decency, strong moral code, humility, and love of family and all those he encountered. All of which he passed on to his children and grandchildren along with his wry sense of humor, which he displayed right up to the end of his life. He was truly the rock upon which his family is built. Jim is preceded in death by his wife Judy, his parents, and siblings. He is survived by his daughters Lynn (John Harrison), Tammy (Ken Bannick), and Dana, and his sons Jim (Mary) and Robert (Simone) and their families.