James Rooney "Jim" Henry

JAMES ROONEY “JIM” HENRY

Graveside inurnment services for Cortez resident James Rooney “Jim” Henry will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 23 at Cortez Cemetery
Jim was born July 11, 1962 in Denver, Colo. the son of James Downing and Linda Louise (Rooney) Henry. He passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2019 at Southwest Memorial Hospital at the age of 57.
Jim graduated from MCHS in 1980. Shortly after that he joined the US Army and became an Artillery Surveyor. He spent more than a year in Korea and then was stationed at Fort Ord California. After being honorably discharged he returned to Colorado and used his GI bill to get his Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering at Trinidad State Junior College. He then went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern Colorado (Now CSU Pueblo). While at USC Jim was known as the absolute best surveyor they had ever seen. He won many competitions and was able to close a loop more accurately then anyone there had ever done.
Jim immediately began working in heavy construction as an engineer after graduating. Working for Castle Rock Construction he built many roads on the front range. He left Castle Rock and came back to Cortez to work for Nielsons Skanska, where he worked for more than 20 years. He worked many remote jobs in many different states. He was always quick to make friends with his co-workers and had a calm easy going manner backed by a just get the job done attitude.
Jim was a member of the Amateur Trap Association and enjoyed travelling the country shooting at different trap clubs. Jim won many awards shooting trap and his family has enjoyed receiving and displaying all his prizes which he would give to them. He enjoyed being the treasurer of the Cortez Trap Club and visiting with everyone who came out to shoot on the weekends.
Jim loved the Cortez area and spending time outdoors. He was a kind person that loved dogs and was always ready to help a friend. Jim had an extensive knife collection and could sharpen a knife razor sharp in minutes. He liked telling stories and cooking. Jim will be greatly missed.
Surviving Jim are his brother, Mike Henry (Lisa) of Chesterfield, Va.; his step-father, Chuck Davis of Cortez and Phoenix, Ariz.; and his step-brother, Brandon Davis (April) of Broomfield, Colo. Jim was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial contributions may be made in Jim’s name to For Pets’ Sake, PO Box 1705, Cortez CO 81321.