James A. Vanaman

It is with sadness that we announce that James Allen Vanaman, age 72, died on May 28th, 2026 in his home in Windsor, CO with his wife, Francesca Vanaman, daughter Siobhán Stuard and dog Molly by his side.

Jim was born in Findlay, OH to John and Jean Vanaman, and was a brother to John, Jeff and Joni. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL and pursued a career in accounting which led him to Dublin, Ireland where he met his wife, Francesca O'Reilly.

Jim was father to three children, whom he and his wife raised in Cody, Wyoming -- a place he'd been drawn to since he was a boy and brought to by a chance transfer by his employer, Marathon Oil Company.

The story of a boy from Ohio who becomes an accountant, meets an Irishwoman abroad and raises their three children in the shadows of the Absaroka mountains today reads like the premise of one of the hundreds of books one could find littered around his home.

In Wyoming, he shared with his children a love of fishing, hunting, reading and slow drives down country roads to nowhere particularly new. Tiny jaunts that, for his children, were grand adventures and a peek into the world of a man who was not easy to know.

He sought comfort in simple things. A Monday Night Football game with some cheese and crackers on a paper plate. Always a paperback book. Beer in a glass. He loved thunderstorms, star-gazing, licorice, and dogs. He loved his wife and children. He is survived by them -- his wife, Francesca, and his children Colleen, Séan and Siobhan.

A small memorial will be held at the home of Siobhan Stuard in Timnath, CO on August 9th, please RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHLxWCbDfrvdAs1eckUfyZUFfXsCr9lVlSqb8afvRJuI42wg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=111409951117457873416

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.