James "Jim" Joseph Berthold

James “Jim” Berthold, born April 10, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, passed away surrounded by the love of the family who meant everything to him on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Longmont, Colorado, after a brief illness.

Jim was the kind of person who seemed to know everyone—and everywhere he went, someone knew him. A longtime and beloved member of his community, he had an extraordinary gift for connecting with people. He was generous, warm, endlessly funny, and rarely without a joke, story, or anecdote to share.

Jim lived a life of service, faith, family, and performance. He served as Vice President of the St. Vrain Valley School Board, where he fiercely advocated for kids and education standards in Longmont and beyond. He spent his professional career with the United States Department of Justice before retiring from federal service, and spent two years enlisted in the U.S. Army.

For 30 years, Jim brought joy to audiences at Jester’s Dinner Theatre, where he performed in countless productions and became a familiar and much-loved presence on the stage and behind the bar. Among his favorite and most memorable roles were Jacob Marley in Scrooge, Father Virgil in Nuncrackers: A Christmas Musical, Maurice in Beauty and the Beast, and Jacob, the father, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

His Catholic faith was a central part of his life. Jim was deeply active at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and faithfully gave his time to others, including bringing Holy Communion each week to residents of local nursing homes. His faith was not simply something he practiced; it was something he lived through service, generosity, compassion, and love for the people around him.

Of all the roles Jim held throughout his life, none mattered more to him than being a father and grandfather. To his daughters, Diane and Chelsea, he was simply the very best Dad imaginable—the person they could count on for unconditional love, unwavering support, a cringe joke, and usually a story to go along with it. He was their cheerleader, their protector, their sounding board, and their very best friend. To his beloved grandsons, Kian (12) and Eshin (10), he was Pap Pap—a devoted grandfather who adored them beyond measure and never missed an opportunity to make them laugh, encourage them, or remind them just how loved they were. His love, terrible jokes, stories, and larger-than-life presence will remain with them always.

Jim was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Susan Eugenia Clinkscales Berthold; his mother, Florence Butch Berthold; and his father, George “Barney” Berthold.

He is survived by his sister, Florence “Chickie” Pastorius; his brother-in-law, Joseph Pastorius; his nephews, Joe, John, and Dennis Pastorius, and their families; his sister-in-law Pam Rubin and nephew Matthew Santos: his daughters, Chelsea Berthold and Diane Carrano and her husband, Mark Carrano; and his well-loved grandsons, Kian and Eshin Carrano. He also leaves behind an enormous community of friends, fellow parishioners, colleagues, theater family, and countless others whose lives were brighter because they knew him.

Jim leaves behind a remarkable legacy of laughter, generosity, faith, service, and love. He will be deeply missed, but there is little doubt about how he would want to be remembered: with a good story, a room full of people he loved, and plenty of laughter.

As Jim himself would say, “Laugh with me, or laugh at me, just make sure you’re laughing.”

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 16, 2026. A Rosary Prayer Service will precede the Mass at 9:30 a.m., with a luncheon reception to follow at the church.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026. A reception will be held at Jesters 224 Main St, Longmont, CO 80501 immediately following the service.

Inurnment service details will be announced at a later date.

Flowers may be sent to Ahlberg Funeral Chapel in Longmont, CO. Those wishing to make a memorial donation in Jim’s honor may contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org as well as the Longmont Humane Society at https://longmonthumane.org.