Nov. 28, 1947 ~ Jan. 1, 2024
Jim Dyer passed away at the age of 76 in the early morning of New Year's Day in Payson, Utah from Parkinson's disease.
He is survived by his wife Donna Marie Duke, (married October 5, 2007 in the Denver Temple, Colorado), Daughters Annette Vanvleet (Jack), Wendy Jo Frost (Chris), & Megan Macaluso (Joey), Step Children Brook Bartlett, Codee Bolinder (Jason), & Jimmy Kemp (Kresta), 13 grandchildren, and sisters Annette Dobias, & Katherine Riley, (Bruce). He was preceded in death by his parents Col. Frederick W. Dyer and Dorothy Ann Cain Dyer, and his brother Theodore W. Dyer (Cindy).
He was born in Newport News, Virginia. Because his father was a Colonel in the USAF, Jim had the unique experience of growing up in many places around the world including the United States, Germany, and France.
Jim had a vast myriad of joyful interests; He started in Boy Scouts with his father eventually earning his Eagle, always holding dear this experience and eventually becoming a Scout Leader. At 11 he began playing the guitar which became a lifelong joy. He was in R&B bands in his youth, loved folk music and bluegrass, (playing locally for many years at Swallow Hill in Denver, CO), and could be found "pickin' and grinnin" in his living room almost every day.
He always had a book in hand, with a well curated library of historical non-fiction. The outdoors were a special place for Jim; He loved Jeeping in the Colorado Rocky mountains and in Moab, driving his side-by-side in and near Fillmore, was an avid bird watcher, and liked to simply comment on how beautiful the moon was when there was a clear sky. Going to The Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City was always on his summer list. In 2006 he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and served a year in the Denver Temple, 2011-2012.
Jim was very proud of his education and his career in the military and in politics. He served in the USAF, based in Mountain Home, Idaho from 1966-1970. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in History from the University of Denver, and taught American History at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, CO. For many years he was involved in local, statewide, and national politics. After working on many campaigns, his proudest moment was getting elected State Senator of district 26 in Colorado in 2000 and 2004. He was heavily involved in drafting and passing two Second Amendment bills; Shall Issue Concealed Carry and Preemption. He served six years on the Judiciary committee (as the chair for two years). He also served on the Health, Environment, Welfare and Institutions, Appropriation, and Legal services committees. He was elected county commissioner in Arapahoe County, 2007-2011 where he sat on many boards including the County Water and Wastewater Authority & Chairman of the Centennial Airport Board of Directors.
He retired in 2011, and in 2012 he and his wife Donna moved to Fillmore Utah having built a beautiful home together that they regularly shared with their family and friends. Jim will be dearly missed and we will always cherish our wonderful memories of him. He leaves a legacy of a loving husband and father with a life-long passion for learning and a strong unwavering testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and his restored gospel.
A celebration of life will be held, January 27, 2024, 11 a.m. at the Fillmore 1st Ward 500 S 400 E Fillmore, Utah. Online condolences can be offered at www.olpinstevensfuneralhome.com.
