Obituary of James Alan Carney

With great sadness, we announce that James "Jim" Carney passed away from Alzheimer's Disease on June 25, 2023 at the age of 75. The world has lost a devoted dad, husband, brother, uncle, and friend. We will miss his generous spirit, sense of humor, and perfect smile more than words can say.

Jim is survived by his wife of 46 years, BJ Croall; his children Evan (Ashley) and Katie (Dan); his grandchildren Aleca, Declan, and Wilder; his brother Michael Carney; and his sisters Carol Clark and Cindy Shnaider. He was preceded in death by his parents, Chuck and Dorothy Carney; and his brother Charles Carney.

Jim was born in Rochester, Minnesota and grew up in Marion, Iowa, graduating from Iowa State with a degree in architecture in 1971. After working in Dallas for a couple of years, he packed up and arrived in Denver on January 1, 1973 without a job or an apartment. Within his first week in Denver, he’d secured both. He met his wife BJ in 1974 on a group outing to Casa Bonita and then settled down in Denver for good.

Jim's passion for engineering and problem-solving extended beyond his career as an architect; no project was too big or too small for him. Whether redesigning an entire kitchen or hanging a backyard swing, he tackled every task with the same enthusiasm. He had a hand in transforming nearly every room in the family house and frequently helped Katie and Evan with projects at their homes.

Along with working on his home projects, Jim loved to bring his family and friends together for a meal. He prepared many memorable dinners with an eclectic combination of dishes, all in the spirit of making everyone feel welcome. Dessert was mandatory, as long as there was coffee to go along with it—he believed you couldn’t have one without the other.

Jim also loved being outside. In his younger years, he climbed multiple 14ers and enjoyed camping and exploring Colorado. After retiring, he walked five miles a day without fail, and loved driving to check out the view on top of Lookout Mountain. The peace and inspiration he found in nature is something that he passed on to Evan and Katie.

Sports played a big role in Jim's early life, with football, track, and wrestling keeping him busy in high school. He later replaced competitive sports with competitive cribbage games. He tracked the results of thousands of cribbage games between himself and BJ, always trying to puzzle out how BJ won more often. But with every loss came a joke, a laugh, and a reminder that time spent together was the biggest prize.

Jim battled Alzheimer's in the later years of his life. This disease took a great deal from him, but it never conquered his generosity, kindness, or determination, which will live on in our hearts always. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/