James Lucius

James Leroy Lucius, the fourth of nine children, was born to Sylvester and Belle Lucius on the family farm at Cedar Point, Utah, on January 5, 1939. Jim passed away in Durango on July 4, 2013, after a long battle with COPD. In 1942, the family moved to Nevada where both parents worked for the U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot. Jim spent his childhood years in the desert surrounding Hawthorne and graduated from high school in 1957. In 1958, Jim was appointed as an official of the Babe Ruth League. The family moved back to Cedar Point in 1959. Jim was in the U.S. Air Force in 1961 and 1962 and worked much of the next 20 years on seismograph crews across the United States. At the age of 32, Jim enrolled at Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction, Colo., was awarded the William E. Todd Memorial Scholarship in May 1972, and graduated with an Associate in Science degree in 1975. After moving to Durango in 1983, Jim was employed in the transportation department at Tamarron, drove for Durango Transportation, and worked at Peerless Tyre Company until his retirement. Jim was preceded in death by his sister Frances Harvey of Pearl River, La., and wife Corda of Minot, N.D. He is survived by his son Randy Davis of Karlsruhe, N.D.; sisters Patricia Maddox of Sacramento, Calif., Margaret Sharp of Hamilton Mont., and his "baby sis" Elizabeth Bartley of Durango; brothers Donald Lucius of Durango, who was his caregiver, Jerry Lucius of Oceanside, Calif., Kenneth Lucius of Stockton, Mo., and William Lucius of Boulder, Colo.; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will hold a Remembrance of Jim's life at a later date. Cards for the family may be sent to Elizabeth Bartley c/o Hood Mortuary, P.O. Box 7, Durango CO 81302.