Obituary: Colonel James J. Kleckner Sr
Provided Photo
May 6, 1931 – August 25, 2024
Long time Vail Valley resident, Colonel James J. Kleckner Sr (Jim or the Colonel) loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend to many, took his last flight on August 25, 2024 at the age of 93 in Arvada, Colorado.
Colonel Kleckner is preceded in death by his wife, Carol Smedstad Kleckner (April 2, 1994), parents, Ernest Joseph Kleckner and Florence Fox Kleckner, and eight of his brothers and sisters.
He is survived by two siblings Bernice Paulson of Osage, IW and William Kleckner of Madison, WI.; four children, Kathryn Kleckner Roark (spouse William Roark) of Colorado Springs, CO, James Kleckner Jr. (spouse Stacy Rovinelli Kleckner) of Edwards, CO, Jana Kleckner Henderson (spouse Kevin Henderson) of Evergreen, CO, and John P. Kleckner (spouse Lynnette Heibert Kleckner) of Golden, as well as 10 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren.
Born May 6, 1931, Jim grew up on a farm in St. Ansgar, Iowa, the second youngest of 11 brothers and sisters. His love of flying began at 17, when he and his friend flew themselves in a small plane from Iowa to California and back. He graduated from St. Ansgar HS in 1949, followed by Loras College, and then the USAF Air War College. In December of 1953 on a holiday train ride home, he met the love of his life, Carol. A year later they were married and his military service took them all over the world. After a distinguished military career as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, which included combat tours in Vietnam, he and Carol, retired to Vail Valley in the early 1990s. Carol, sadly passed shortly after and thus began a new chapter in his life.
Life for Jim after retirement did not slow down. He never stopped seeking new challenges and adventures. In 1994, he began volunteering as a Vail Mountain host. There he met some of the people who became his dearest friends throughout his 24 years volunteering.
He was active in the community; served on the Minturn City Council as well as volunteered for other organizations. One particular passion was the Colorado Trail Foundation where for nearly 25 years he helped build and maintain trails for 1-2 weeks/summer. He frequently recruited his children, grandchildren and friends to work alongside him.
His curiosity and thirst for learning led to many exciting adventures all his life and even into his later years which included things such as, training to be a white-water rafting guide, rafting Africa’s Zambezi River, crewing a 60′ sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean, sky-diving, heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies, powder runs in Vail’s back bowls, and skiing into his 90s.
He was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the Vail Valley for decades, and each year enjoyed driving his red convertible in the 4th of July parade with his fellow veterans.
Jim valued the simple things in life. He recalled “a lot of incredible sunsets flying east to west chasing the sun as a pilot.” He loved sitting on his deck in Minturn, listening to the river and watching the clouds play across the cliffs. And most important, was his tireless love and commitment to family and the deep Catholic faith that kept him well grounded. As the foundation of his family, he encouraged strong values, faith, family gatherings, fun and laughter. He was great at staying in contact with family and those he called friend. His endless energy, boisterous and positive spirit, humor, appreciation for a good argument, and love for entertaining will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2024
Service: 2:00 PM at Beaver Creek Chapel: 33 Elk Track Rd | Beaver Creek, CO. Celebration of Life: 3:00-5:00 PM @ Coyote Café: 210 The Plaza | Beaver Creek, CO
SEPTEMBER 23, 2024: Military Committal – 12:30 PM at Ft. Logan National Cemetery | 4400 W Kenyon Ave. | Denver, CO 80236 | Offsite Reception to Follow.
Additional details of Jim’s life can be viewed at: https://www.inmemoriamservices.com/obituary/James-Kleckner
