Jess "Jody" Vetter

Jess "Jody" Vetter was born December 29, 1940, the only son of Fern L. and Joe Vetter of Cripple Creek, Colorado. He passed away, surrounded by his family, on November 10, 2025.

The Vetter family owned a ranch near Cripple Creek and made a living mining and hauling ore in the area. He learned to be a good hand with a horse and with heavy equipment during this time, both of which would serve him well throughout his life. Jody graduated from Cripple Creek-Victor High School and later Colorado State University. He had several lifelong friendships from those days, and the stories of their shenanigans came up frequently in family conversations. While at CSU, Jody met his wife, Bobbie. They married in 1965 and have been married for nearly sixty years. After the marriage, Bobbie moved to join Jody in Hemingford, NE, where Jody was teaching vocational agriculture.

In 1968, the couple moved to Yampa, where Jody was hired as the Vo-Ag teacher at Soroco High School. He would teach at Soroco until 1977, when he began working at Energy Fuels.

Along the way, two daughters were born, Raylene and Jo Lynn. The Vetters made their home in Yampa, settling into the community. Jody worked at the mine until it transitioned to an underground operation in 1986.

Forever a teacher, Jody spent many hours sharing his horsemanship and leatherworking skills with others. He was a 4-H leader for a time as his daughters grew up, and he worked in his own leather shop, The Outpost, and taught leathercraft within the community. His final leathercraft students were two of his five granddaughters.

Jody and Bobbie retired in 2000 and began spending winters in Quartzsite, AZ. There, they rekindled friendships with Jody's high school friends and made many new friends. They spent several summers as the camp hosts at the Bear Lake Campground near Yampa. They were quite fond of this arrangement.

Jody is survived by his wife, Bobbie, their daughters, Raylene (Rod) Olinger and Jo (Ryan) Parker. He was Papa to five granddaughters of whom he was very proud: Laramie (Jayden) Chynoweth, Grace Olinger (fiancé Kaleb Lunstra), Kate Olinger, Makinley Parker, and Peyton Parker. Recent years and days brought great-granddaughters Talayne and Ansleigh Chynoweth.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 29 in the "Old Gym" at Soroco High School, 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Northwest Colorado Health - Hospice in care of Yampa Valley Funeral Home 2105 Taxi Way Steamboat Springs, CO 80487.

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