Jim passed away peacefully from a broken heart and some complications from lung cancer, but mostly from a broken heart after losing his beloved bride 7 weeks ago. Jim is survived by children Christi (Johnny), Mollie (Dave), Rich (Annmarie), grandchildren Camden, Amaia, Daley, Riley, Amory, sister Dolores Shore and family and brother-in-law Hugh Daley. Jim is preceded in death by wife of 55 years DeAnn and sweet Liddie dog.
Jim was sometimes known for his “type A” personality and it’s easy to understand where he got it. His grandmother Estefania Churruca stowed away on a ship from the Basque Country to Ellis Island when she was only 13 years old. Hard work and perseverance ran strong in his DNA.
Jim was born in Boise ID to parents Pete and Dorothy. Pete didn’t learn to speak English until the 5th grade and although Jim didn’t learn the Basque language, he found extreme pleasure when Pete pretended he didn’t speak English. Since NO ONE understands Basque, it was great fun seeing the kids so confused.
Basque traditions ran deep in the Anchustegui household. Jim’s parents were known as Amuma and Aitxitxe to the grandkids. It was only fitting that Jim and DeAnn donned the same grandparent names which were lovingly shortened to Muma and Cheecha. Jim also engineered family gatherings to the Basque festivals, known as Jaialdi. Most notably was the year he rented an RV so the whole fam (kids and grandkids) could travel to Boise together. The rental company got to experience his type A personality firsthand when the RV wasn’t ready for pick up and then broke down on the way home. The transportation was a bit of a disaster but the festival was such fun, that year and every 5 years the family made the trek.
Jim was probably just out of sorts having to rent an RV because owning one was extremely enjoyable for him. Jim and DeAnn had a true love of the outdoors and it was a significant step up when they upgraded from tent camping to their very own motor home. The motor home served great purpose on camping trips but was especially known for its Broncos tailgating parties. Jim and DeAnn owned 5 season tickets on the 5th level of the original Mile High Stadium. The first year the Broncos made it to the playoffs Santa surprised the kids with tickets to the game which the family traveled to in the motor home!
Jim enjoyed a distinguished career and board positions where he was respected by so many in different fields. Said a former colleague, “he was a wonderful boss, didn’t put up with any bullshit and got things done.” Jim began his career after serving in the army and graduating from Boise State University. His first real job at IBM relocated Jim and DeAnn from Boise to Denver. They made Colorado their home so when IBM threatened to relocate him again, he moved on to Master Charge (now Mastercard) where he worked until 1983. During a short unemployment he played bridge with the ladies. From sales to financial services to card games, Jim then found his calling in the oil business at Petro-Lewis which later acquired Iliff Thorn. When the oil boom busted, Jim decided Real Estate suited him. He became a commercial broker, working for United Artists where he brokered theater deals and disposed of stuff the company had acquired like bowling alleys. Jim was an avid bowler, but bowling alleys had no place in the theater business! United Artists was acquired by TCI where Jim continued consulting until his official retirement in 2002. Jim remained incredibly active after retirement where he held board positions and continued working on construction projects the kids threw his way.
Jim was both an enthusiastic bowler and golfer. His other favorite sport was sledding. When Mollie was 8 the family went to St. Mary’s Glacier. Jim kept saying, “let’s go higher, kids!” So up the mountain they went until Mollie flew down, hit a bump at the bottom. Hard. Bye-bye liver, hello hospital. Mollie recovered just fine after 2 ½ weeks in hospital. Then for Rich’s 21st birthday, the family celebrated at their Eagle Vail condo. After many beers, Jim thought it a good idea to pull out the wooden sled (circa 1957). Jim kept saying, “let’s go higher, kids!” So up the mountain they went. Rich flew down, literally flew, caught too much air and landed wrong. Bye-bye shoulder, hello hospital. Rich recovered just fine although they all concurred sledding with Jim was a bad idea. Sweet DeAnn was so nice to pick up uninsured Rich’s medical bill as it was 20 days after graduating college.
Jim’s true love was duck hunting and training his beloved Labradors to be excellent retrievers. It was not uncommon to watch Jim and the dogs practice their magic on the front lawn of the Dayton St house. The kids would make fun of his training apparel – duck callers around his neck, white t-shirt, shorts, black work socks and desert boots were the standard issue. He didn’t care his family laughed at his outfits because he was so focused on training. Jim’s CB handle was Double Barrel although he rarely shot his gun. His true passion was calling the ducks and having his dogs do the work.
Jim was the epitome of “patriarch.” He supported his family in every way possible from attending all sporting events, practicing baseball in the yard (all 3 kids made the All-Star team many years running), umpiring games, starting swim meets, practicing speeches, doing math homework and carving sculptures out of soap for school projects. Jim and DeAnn were incredible parents and so very in love with each other. They did everything together including traveling all over the world. When DeAnn was sick, Jim was an amazing caregiver. When DeAnn passed, Jim’s heart broke. The two lovebirds have rejoined in Heaven where they can continue laughing, golfing, bowling, snorkeling and cocktailing.
Seeeeeeeeeeeeee ya!
In lieu of flowers, please consider:
Denver Dumb Friends League
2080 S Quebec St
Denver, CO 80231
Boise Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Inc
611 Grove St
Boise, ID 83702
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
P.O. Box 50
Memphis, TN 38101-9929
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