Frank James

Frank A. James, 87 years old, passed away in his home on Friday, August 27th, 2021.  Frank is survived by his wife of 40 years, Donna, his three grown children, Michaele James, Tobi James, Michael James, his three step-children, Andy Calerich, Tim Calerich and Chris Calerich, 18 grand-children and his beloved dog, Jessie.  Frank was a Colorado native with seven siblings and grew up in the town of Welby.  He was of Italian heritage and came from a farming family, yet his father encouraged all his kids to go to college, including the girls which was unheard of at the time.

When Frank was a young boy, his legs were severely burned playing in a mound of leaves that caught fire.  For years, he would be carried around by his father and older brothers until his late teens when he regained his ability to walk again, but his legs would always carry the residual damage of the fire.

In his early twenties, while working two part-time jobs to support his family, Frank put himself through school at Regis College and University of Denver.  He then began his career working as an accountant in his older brother’s business.  From there, he started his own practice which thrived for over 60 years.  He had 100’s of clients over the years and they followed him throughout his ever-changing addresses which began in Brighton, then Westminster and continued through most suburbs in the Denver metro area.  His clients have remained loyal and some have been with him since the beginning.

Frank was a family man - that was the most important job he had- taking care of his family.  He was always there at his kids and grandkids’ games, dance recitals, piano recitals, plays etc. He traveled on weekends to Claremont College in California to watch his son play football.  After the games, he’d take a large portion of the team out for dinner. He coached his son’s baseball and football teams throughout Michael’s childhood.  He was quite an accomplished coach and created a championship football team. He always made time for his children regardless of his sometime demanding schedule.

Things for which Frank will be remembered are difficult to narrow down.  He was a world traveler and was always planning a trip somewhere.  He felt very strongly that his kids should see and know the world and thusly they traveled from the time school let out each June through most of the summer. A favorite place of his was Castiglione di Carovilli a small town in Italy in which both his parents were born.  He took his kids there, his siblings and continued to visit throughout his life.

Frank is known for his love of music.  As a young man he would sing with dance bands in the Denver area.  In the 60’s and early 70’s, he could frequently be seen singing with Jimmy Roberts accompaniment on the piano at Laffite’s restaurant in Larimer Square.

He had an eye for architecture, art and design and was a proficient craftsman in his own right.  He was always upgrading, improving or building something to enhance and/or make his homes more functional.  His daughter tells the story of leaving home for a weekend  and upon her return the staircase that had been facing west, was suddenly facing east.

Throughout his life, Frank would root for the underdog which is why he was such an avid Bronco fan from the beginning.  His passion for the Broncos was infectious, so much so that his eight grandchildren, born and raised in the tri-state area on the east coast, bleed orange and blue.  They rant and rave at the TV just like their grandpa only they started at a much younger age.

He has owned over 100 cars throughout his life as he carefully listed each one by make, model, year, driver, etc.  Frank collected an array of collectable cars including several Cadillacs which were always his preference.

Other than his family, the last and perhaps his most satisfying investment of his time, were his dogs.  Frank’s best friends were his dogs and he made them part of his family.  They have all left a mark in the hearts of the James family because of how much they were loved.

There will be a rosary vigil on Thursday, September 9th at 7:00 pm at Holy Family Church located at 4377 Utica St., Denver.  The following morning at 10:00 am, funeral services will commence at the same location.  There will be a reception following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in honor of Frank to The Humane Society, 2080 S Quebec St, Denver, CO 80231 or The National Kidney Foundation, 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80204.
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