Oct. 8, 1947 ~ May 18, 2022
Jim Bancroft Brown of Meeker, Colorado, died peacefully in his daughter’s home in St. John, Indiana, on May 18, 2022. He was 74 years old. Jim was born to James Buchanan Brown and Martha Fair (Bancroft) Brown on Oct. 8, 1947, in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Jim graduated from Meeker High School in 1966. Passionate about his family’s cattle ranch, he attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was a proud member of FarmHouse Fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences in 1970. He then moved to the city of Crown Point, Indiana, to start his family and shifted career paths. He obtained a law degree from Valparaiso University in 1976 and was admitted to the Bar Association in Indiana for 45 years. A long time resident of Lake County Indiana, Jim enjoyed being involved in local politics and spent his career on the legal end of booming commercial development in the Northwest Indiana region. He retired to his childhood home of Meeker, Colorado, where visiting with family and friends, gardening, fishing and preserving Meeker history became his daily priorities.
Jim is survived by his children; Walter Chetwyind Brown (Andrea), Kathleen Celeste Brown (Jeremy), Elizabeth Anne Brown Mazur (Michael), Jamie Leila Brown and stepson Shane Ryan Wentz. Siblings; Judith Ann Kubesh (Benjamin), Ben Charles Brown, Rita Fair Driver (Bruce), Rebecca Lou Sims (Douglas). He will be fondly remembered by his grandchildren Leila, Jackson and Maximus; step-grandchildren Christian, Sophia, Aidan, Camden, Carah and Kinsley as well as several nieces and nephews, all of whom he loved dearly.
Jim is preceded in death by his father James Buchanan Brown, mother Martha Fair (Bancroft) Brown, and stepson Jacob Donald Anderson.
A memorial service for Jim and plaque dedication for Jim, James and Martha Brown will take place at Meeker Highland Cemetery July 30, 2022, at 10 a.m. Service will be located on the East side of the cemetery surrounding the gravesite of Ruth Mary and Walter Marion Brown, Jim’s grandparents.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial donations be made to the Meeker Historical Society to continue preserving Meeker history in honor of our dad, Jim.
