Jim passed away peacefully on November 15, 2017 of respiratory failure. He was a resident of Colorado Springs for 70 years. He was born in Hays, Kansas and lived in Russell, Kansas for 16 years. Because of severe asthma, his parents brought him here to live at the YMCA where he finished his senior year at Colorado Springs High School. He worked at the Ute and Tompkins theaters until he began working at Meadow Gold Dairy. He joined the Army and spent much of his time in Ulm, Germany during the Korean War. When he got out in 1953, he returned to work as a commercial truck driver at the dairy where he worked for 40 years.
His parents Albert Strecker and Martha (Bender) Strecker moved to Colorado Springs and lived here until their deaths.
While delivering at Stagecoach Inn in Manitou Springs, he met a waitress, Beverly Eflin, whom he married on February 18, 1955. They went to Carmel, California on their honeymoon and stayed there a year. Their son, David, was born in Monterey, California on December 18, 1955. While there, Jim became an apprentice carpenter. When his boss went bankrupt he gave all his carpentry books to Jim. Later, Jim made good use of them. Jim and Beverly, with their son David, moved back to Colorado in 1956. Their daughter, Elaine, was born on August 13, 1959.
Jim had many hobbies, fishing being his main one. He also was a skier and enjoyed four wheeling all over the Colorado mountains. He and Beverly took their children hiking, backpacking, camping and fishing. Jim made beautiful stained-glass lamps, cabinetry, and custom fishing rods.
Jim and Beverly built a home in Mosquito Gulch in Park County. They took five years of weekends and vacations, working together as a team doing most of the work with some family and friends. After retirement, Jim and Bev traveled all over the U.S. in their fifth wheel camper.
Jim belonged to First Lutheran Church for 68 years. He is survived by his loving wife, Beverly, of 62 years; son, David, an independent trucker from northern Mississippi; brother, Kenneth, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and his 2 dear granddaughters. Jim was preceded in death by his daughter, Elaine, in 2007; and his father and mother earlier.
Funeral services will be held at First Lutheran Church, 1515 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. Burial will be on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Evergreen Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. Memorials may be made in Jim’s name to First Lutheran Church.