James M. Byrom

1932 - 2021

James M. Byrom

February 5, 1932 - May 4, 2021

James "Jim" Byrom was born February 5, 1932, in Gatesville, Texas, to Claud and Lucy Byrom. He earned a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin and served two years in the U.S. Navy. After a short stint in Dallas, he moved to Utah. All through the 1960s, he taught business classes and photography at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, along with becoming the school business manager. It was there that he met the love of his life, Lois Eleanor Vinton, and they were married in 1965. To them three beautiful children were born, Jack, of Grand Junction; Katy, of Grand Junction, and Glen, of Baysville, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Byrom earned an MBA from Western State University of Gunnison, Colorado.

In 1975, Mr. Byrom took a position as the head bookkeeper for W.R. Hall & Sons Construction in Grand Junction, Colorado, and soon thereafter moved his family there from Utah. He was a skilled tax preparer and had his own tax business in Grand Junction and also did work for H&R Block. He finished out his working career at the Grand Junction Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities as a psychiatric technician and was beloved there for his humor, hard work, and versatility, retiring from that position in 1997.

Mr. Byrom was a renowned coffee aficionado and lover of cafes. He had a legendary coffee drinking career in Grand Junction that began in 1975 and spanned decades; he ended this coffee career at the Trailhead Cafe on Monument Road. He was a talented photographer and for a while performed professional wedding photography. He loved to spend time with his family and enjoyed many hiking, camping, and road trips with them all over the west and Texas. He had a powerful mind and a love of books, history, and music, and was an expert crossword puzzle solver. He kept in touch with family, friends, and former students all over the country, and was especially loved by his friends from Texas.

His wife, Lois, preceded him in death in 1998. He is survived by their children, Jack, Glen (Melinda Zytaruk), and Katy; grandson, Lee Mica (from Glen and Melinda); nephews, David Byrom and Bill and Bob Byrom; nieces, Sue Dixon (Byrom), Ann Moss, and Jean Rhoden-Gill (Moss), and numerous other relatives.

Arrangements were made through Browns Cremation & Funeral Service and the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to ChildFund International.