James E. Abernathy

May 27, 1920 – February 7, 2017

Posted

TORRINGTON – James Ege Abernathy, 96, of Torrington, formerly of Longmont, Colo., died Feb. 7, 2017 at the Goshen Care Center. He came to know his Lord Jesus Christ late in life and loved fellowship with his church family and the worship services at Lifeway Church in Torrington.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, with the Rev. Marty Rostad officiating, at Lifeway Church 1701 East F. St., Torrington. Cremation has taken place and interment will be at Foothills Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Longmont at a later date.

Mr. Abernathy was born May 27, 1920, in Denver, the first of five sons born to John and Anna (Ege) Abernathy. He was raised in Erie, Colo., graduating from Erie High School in 1941.

He married Dorothy J. Moore in Longmont on Aug. 30, 2941, and the couple moved to the Detroit, Mich., area, where Mr. Abernathy worked in a paper mill. They returned to Colorado in 1944 and he served in the U.S. Navy. He saw action in the Pacific and was honorably discharged in 1946.

Mr. Abernathy farmed near Niwot, Colo., until selling out in 1955. He worked as an over-the-road truck driver and a welder until 1965, when he was hired by Beech Aircraft in Boulder as a tool and die maker. While employed at Beech, he and his colleagues built life-support components for the Apollo space capsules, under contract to NASA.

Following his retirement from Beech in 1985, Mr. Abernathy stayed busy helping his son farm. The couple moved to Torrington in 1994, where they enjoyed meeting friends at the Senior Center.

Every year from 1993 to 2006, the couple traveled to Farragut State Park in Idaho to attend annual reunions of the U.S. Naval Training Station where he’d completed basic training. They also enjoyed fishing and going on camping trips with a local RV/camper club.

Mr. Abernathy was a lifetime member of the American Legion and joined the VFW as well after moving to Torrington. He remained active with woodworking projects, making recipe card holders, squirrel feeders, reindeer Christmas card baskets and folding tables for people all over Torrington.

Mr. Abernathy was preceded in death by his parents, wife Dorothy, daughter Carolyn (Abernathy) Andes and brothers Charles, John and Robert.

He is survived by his son Douglas (Julie) Abernathy of Torrington, brother Verne (Shirley) Abernathy of Dacono, Colo., grandchildren Rachel Abernathy of Cheyenne, David Abernathy of Torrington, Laura Andes, Barbara (Andes) Sauve and Diane (Andes) Rice of Stanhope, N.J., and six great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to the Goshen Care Center, 2009 Laramie St., Torrington, or to Lifeway Church, P.O. Box 157, Torrington.