James F. Willging

Dr. James F."Jim" Willging of Fort Collins peacefully passed away at his home Wednesday, November 23, 2011, surrounded by family. A Memorial Mass will be held for Jim at 2 pm on Wednesday, November 30 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Fort Collins. His long time friend of 50 years, the Rt. Rev. Warren J. Heidgen OSB, will officiate at the celebration of Jim's life. Jim was born in O'Neill, Nebraska to William and Ruth Willging and moved at an early age to Lead, South Dakota. After graduating from Lead High School in 1942, he served in the U.S. Navy's V12 program. He was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy and served in the South Pacific and Atlantic during World War II. Jim earned a B.S. in Naval Technology from the University of Minnesota in 1945 and a B.S. and M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines. From 1947-49, he was employed with the Los Alamos Scientific Labs in New Mexico. Shortly after completing a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering at Ohio State University in 1953, he proudly began his life-long career with Dow Chemical.
Jim married his high-school sweetheart Audrey Kofmehl in 1947, and they were blessed with four children. He was passionate about community service; among his many contributions, he was a founding member of the Kiwanis Club of Poudre Golden K of Fort Collins, and an active participant until his passing. He especially loved years of volunteer work at Riffenburgh Elementary School, both tutoring children in reading and serving as a Senior Citizen representative with the school board. He was preceded in death by his grandson Jeffrey James and is survived by Audrey R., his loving wife of 64 years, his brother William E. Willging, son Bill and wife Patricia, son David and wife Janet, daughter Janet, daughter Audrey Ketchum and her husband Keith, grand-daughters Misha, Cathy, Audrey, and Amanda and two great grand-daughters, Payton and Madison. Contributions may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Denver or the Poudre Valley Golden K Foundation Fund in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Ft. Collins, CO 80524.