James Van Meter

James L. Van Meter passed away peacefully on December 31, 2020 at the age of 97 in Lone Tree, Colorado.  He was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma on October 2, 1923 to Vearl and Edna (Goodnight) Van Meter.  He grew up on a small farm with four brothers and graduated from Guthrie High School.  In 1941 he joined the Navy and served in World War II in the Pacific and Atlantic theaters and the Korean War and retired as a Lieutenant Commander after continuing to serve in the Naval Reserves.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University in 1949 and a Masters of Science in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1959.  He married Rea Joyce Alspach from Edmond, Oklahoma on May 7, 1950.  Jim worked in the aerospace industry for 43 years with Westinghouse Electric, Ford and Raytheon as a program manager.  Jim and Joyce lived in Southern California from 1960 – 1996 where they raised their family.  In 1996 they moved to Littleton, Colorado to be close to their grandchildren.

Jim was very active with his church and volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hike, fish and climb mountains.  He was also passionate about gardening and photography.  Jim is survived by his wife Joyce, their son Steve (Donna) Van Meter of Parker, Colorado, their daughter Karen (Keith) Robertson of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a grandson Eric (Ciara), a granddaughter Emily, and one great granddaughter Liesel. He was preceded in death by his brothers Jerry and David.

Funeral services will take place at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village on Friday January 8 at 2 pm. Burial services will be at Fort Logan Cemetery.  Donations in Jim’s memory can be made to the Navy Seal Foundation at https://www.navysealfoundation.org