James Russell "Jimmy" Tegtman

James "Jimmy" Russell Tegtman
Jimmy was born March 13th, 1938, in Fort Lupton, Colorado to Ernest and Fern Tegtman and was the sixth of seven children. He was baptized in the Methodist Church, (Keenesburg, CO).
Jimmy attended school in Prospect Valley and graduated from Prospect Valley High School (PVHS) in 1957. He played baseball, football and basketball and just came shy of winning the 1957 Class C State Basketball championship against Wellington. He was a member of the band and an accomplished trumpet player. He served as the Senior Class President and an active member of Future Farmers of America.
He married Charlotte Hope Shaklee on January 1st, 1959. They were classmates at PVHS and began dating when Charlotte returned from college in the summer of 1958.
Jimmy spent most of his life in Prospect Valley and Keenesburg, farming corn, sugar beets, pinto beans, grass, and alfalfa hay, and for a brief time barley, sunflowers, and popcorn. He was a member of the Roggen Farmers Elevator. He also ranched with a cow-calf operation up until moving to the town of Keenesburg in the Fall of 1978 and sat on the board of the Terry Ranching Association until 1991. He retired in the spring of 1993 yet continued to farm for various farms up until the early 2000's.
He had a love of cars and participated in a car club known as "The Igniters". Jimmy enjoyed restoring and showing cars. Jimmy restored a 1931 Model A Ford for his father-in-law Orville Shaklee. He was an accomplished mechanic and autobody specialist and painted the Southeast Weld Fire Protection district fleet of vehicles in the late 1980's. Jimmy's special talent was the gift of invention, and he created many useful tools and devices over the years for him and his family.
Jimmy and Charlotte had four children, James Russell, Lelanie Renee Hope, Rachelle Rose Mary, and Sunsara Tara Desiree. The family enjoyed picnicking, fishing, ice skating, swimming, and boating on the Prospect Reservoir. They vacationed in Glenwood Springs and Gunnison, Colorado. On a typical Saturday night, you could find James popping popcorn in the kitchen to share with the family while drinking mountain dew or squirt out of a metal stein to keep it extra cold. Every so often, he would get a craving for some ice cream and the family would head off for Brighton to go to Dairy Queen for a special treat.
Jimmy was an avid hunter and fisherman and thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors. He enjoyed processing game and smoking kokanee salmon caught in the Blue Mesa Reservoir (Gunnison, CO). His hobbies included making his own fishing hooks, bullets and creating stained glass lamps. Later, he developed a love of radio-controlled airplanes and enjoyed time with other hobbyists working on planes and flying them.
He could be found frequenting local coffee shops and visiting with family, friends and fellow farmers discussing local and world events. He was a giving member of the community and during the worst of snowstorms and blizzards brought a tractor to town to clear the Catholic Church parking lot along with neighbors' driveways down the street. He would also assist stranded travelers and bring them to town to sit out the storm. In the summers, he would grow, pick, and share sweet corn with his neighbors and share with whoever wanted or needed some.
Later in life, he and his wife Charlotte loved to take long drives, fish, and stay in small towns across Colorado. They enjoyed visiting their children across the state and attending their grandchildren's sporting events and activities.
After Charlotte went to be with the Lord in 2013, Jimmy developed a soft heart for stray animals, specifically cats, and continued to provide food and shelter for strays up until he was hospitalized in November 2024. He enjoyed visiting with members of the community and would often be seen at the Keene Market, Post Office, Simpler Times, or Gray Cara chatting, riding his electric wheelchair and sharing his faith and love of the Lord with others.
After the loss of his daughter, Lelanie in the Summer of 2023, Jimmy was devastated as no parent should have to experience the loss of a child and worked to keep himself busy with tinkering and spending time outside with his kitties.
Jimmy is survived by his sisters Betty Jean Hillenbrand (Kremmling, CO), Joan Gustafson (Keenesburg, CO), brothers Bobby Tegtman (Keenesburg, CO) and Frankie (Joyce) Tegtman (Peyton, CO), his son James Russell Tegtman II (Keenesburg, CO) daughters, Rachelle (Keith) Davis (Haxtun, CO), Sunsara (Gary) Staninger (Aurora, CO) Son-in-Law, John Lazuick (Kersey, CO) Son-in-law, Dennis McCleskey (Brighton, CO) and his grandchildren Justine (Gilbert) Lazuick-Marin, Taylehr Lazuick, Luke (Sabrina) Davis, Levi Davis, Solange Staninger and great grandchildren, Noah, Laurence, Dean, Peyton, Madeleine, Charlotte Rose, James and many nieces, nephews and their families. He is preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Fern, his older brothers Sylvester (Keenesburg, CO) and Howard (Fort Collins, CO), his wife Charlotte and his daughter Lelanie McCleskey (Brighton, CO),
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