It is with heavy hearts the family of James “Jim” Francis Vogt wish to announce that he passed away at the age of 75 on February 25, 2023. He went peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones after years of battling numerous health issues.
Jim was the 4th of 8 children, born April 30, 1947. He attended Catholic school thru the 8th grade, and graduated from Dansville High School in Dansville, NY in 1965. After high school, he went to Monmouth College in Illinois for 2 years before enlisting in the Air Force as an air traffic controller. Because Jim was one of the few trained on using “crypto gear”, (scrambled communication transmissions) his orders to Vietnam were redlined twice when stationed in Hawaii. After serving in the AF, Jim continued his formal education at Geneseo State University in New York, graduating with a BS in Education in 1973. He would often joke and say he taught school for about 8 minutes, before heading to Colorado to attend CSU where he majored in Business Administration.
Even though by that time Jim was older than most other college students, he was immediately recruited by Peat, Marwick, & Mitchell, a Big 8 (in those days) CPA firm. The experience he had as a teacher and an accountant combined with the intense demands put on an air traffic controller gave him a perfect foundation to do something he loved: mortgage lending. He hated the idea of retiring, always saying that helping people get into homes was not a job, but a joy.
In 1982, Jim married his soul mate, Ruth. He brought a son, Kevin and she brought two daughters, Michelle and Stephanie, to their union of love. Their blended family continued to grow and be blessed with grandchildren and great grandchildren. Camping and annual family trips to Cabo enhanced the tight bond they all shared.
Jim was a kind, caring, loving man that truly never met a stranger. He had a natural curiosity seeking common ground with everyone he met. Chances are when he would first meet someone new, he would ask where they were from and where they went to school (he had such a large family he could always find commonality just from those 2 questions.) If you were ever with a group at a table in a restaurant and had a complete stranger come up with a piece of paper and pencil asking for your birth month and day, it was probably Jim. (Of course there would always be a wager placed with others before starting this game that he would find a match before asking no more than 30 people.) If you were ever playing Texas Hold’em and got beat by the river card, it was most likely Jim that would scoop away your chips from right in front of you (he always said he’d rather be lucky than good!) If you ever heard a crowd of people laughing at someone telling a joke, or hanging spoons on his face, or doing a card trick, it was probably Jim. His buddies could always count on Jim being a contender on the golf course. If he didn’t beat your score, he always seemed to find a way to beat you out of a dollar or two before heading to the 19th hole.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Conway E. and Mary H. Vogt; brothers, H. John Vogt, Robert E. Vogt, sister, Catherine A. Senkier; sisters-in-laws, Deborah Vogt and Nancy Vogt.
Survived by his wife, Ruth L. Vogt; his son, Kevin M. Vogt and 2 daughters, Michelle R. Wood (Gene F. Heidel) and Stephanie J. Oliver; grandchildren, Alex R. Wood (Mike H. Dell) Kaley L. Goodrich (Cody J. Goodrich), Mackenzie G. Oliver, Olivia H. Oliver, Cade F. Oliver; and great grandchildren, Brennan Walls, Jonathan Dell, Gracie and Bristol Goodrich; brothers, Thomas M. Vogt (Vicki Vogt), William J. Vogt, Paul M. Vogt (Pamela Sauer); sister, Mary F. Vogt (Marj Hitt); sister-in-law, Kay Vogt.
Family and friends are invited to join the family as they celebrate his life on Friday, March 10th.
11:00am New Hope Presbyterian Church, 3737 New Hope Way, Castle Rock, CO
Graveside Service to follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Castle Rock, CO, where Military Honors will be provided.
12:30pm Reception/Lunch @ The Mill House, 1375 W Plum Creek Pkwy, Castle Rock, CO
It was Jim’s desire that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to American Warrior Initiative, a nonprofit supporting the needs of veterans. (Make reference to “Memory of Jim Vogt” to assure funds will be allocated to LOCAL veterans.) PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK IMMEDIATELY BELOW TO ACCESS THIS SITE.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OlingerAndrews.com for the Vogt family.
