Jay Clinton Rhoten

Jay C. Rhoten, 67, passed away on Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Larimer County, Colo. He was born July 25, 1957, in Memphis, Tenn., to Ralph and Marcia Rhoten. Due to his father’s career in the U.S. Air Force and as an air traffic controller, Jay grew up in Mississippi, Alaska and Kentucky. He graduated from high school in 1975 and attended the University of Kentucky on an ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1979 with a degree in business. After college he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and was stationed at Fort Ord Military Base in Monterey, Calif., where he met his wife, Patricia Botelha. They were married on Sept. 25, 1982, in Monterey, Calif. Jay served in the Army reserves for 21 years and retired as a Major. Their son Joshua Rhoten was born Oct. 2, 1986, in Monterey, Calif. Jay got in early with the tech boom in the Bay Area of California and worked in information technology with EDS and CompuCom before transferring with CompuCom to their new location in Denver, Colo., in 2001. He worked for Denver Water before starting his dream job with the National Park Service (NPS) in 2007 at their Fort Collins, Colo., location. Jay worked in information technology with the NPS for the past 17 years. Jay’s volunteer activities over the years have included working with Cheyenne Frontier Days to help with the Thunderbirds Airshow, Wings over the Rockies Museum, and the Civil Air Patrol for the last two years. Jay always had a passion for aviation. He received his pilot’s license after he married Patricia, and flew for several years before his son was born. He enjoyed traveling to air shows throughout the country, including an annual trip to the Reno Air Races. When he wasn’t traveling to an air show he would happily run errands just so he could also drive by a regional airport. At home, he surrounded himself with plane models, photographs of planes, and books on aviation. Jay loved his family. With his wife, he enjoyed traveling throughout the country visiting National Parks, monuments, and heritage sites, anything that got him a stamp in his National Parks passport. With his son he enjoyed hiking local trails and chatting about baseball and all sports. He was a committed Kentucky basketball and Cincinnati Reds fan. A family event was seeing the latest Star Wars or Marvel movie, going to a baseball or football game, and the occasional trip to a Disney Park. He is survived by his wife Patricia Botelha Rhoten; his son Josh (Sara) Rhoten; sister Sharon (Paul) Kucyk, niece Kolby (Tim) Gayson, and Cooper Kucyk; sister-in-law Evelyn Marion, niece Karen (Scott) Larson and their son Jake, nephew Matthew (Lina) Marion and their daughter Emma and son Forrest, nephew Brian Marion; brother-in-law Paul (LaVonda) Botelha, and nephew Arthur (Kaitlin) Botelha; aunt Barbara (Jerry) Nugent; multiple cousins; multiple friends; and grand dog Bridger. He is preceded in death by his father Ralph Rhoten and mother Marcia Rhoten; mother-in-law Isabel Botelha; uncle Clifford Rhoten; and grand dog Max. A celebration of life will be held at a later date in the spring of 2025. Flowers and support for the family are of course welcome in the care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel in Fort Collins, Colo., but the family is also encouraging donations of any type to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Jay’s honor.

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Jay Clinton Rhoten

July 25, 1957 - November 23, 2024