JAMES ANDREW CROCKER Oct. 7, 1980 – April 25, 2021

Even in such a sad time, there is great joy in sharing my son James with his friends, loving relatives, and new acquaintances.

James was born in Los Alamos and graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1999. A great lover of the outdoors and winter, he was an active biker (and builder), soccer player, and a member of both ice hockey and ski racing teams. He and friends from a block away preferred to be walking to Mountain School rather than taking the bus, and as an adult, he also became active in rock climbing, especially when he was home the same time as friends.

Growing up, he added drawing and clay characters to his skills, but he is best known for his great love of the art of photography, especially his preference for black and white photos. That has made for traveling all over New Mexico and Colorado.

Then, his fascination for trains (preferably fire-powered) and huge mining equipment added Wyoming and Nebraska to his road-trips. Throughout his life, he visited Texas, New England, California, Washington, DC, and England. Every summer, our local students were introduced to musical instruments, and he became a life-long drummer. One summer, he spent his first time on his own at a Berklee College of Music workshop in Boston and was actively still playing with friends in Denver. At Trinity-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, he sang with a youth choir and acted in youth plays.  With his love of winter, he was always among the first to sign up for shoveling snow in the era we had plenty of it.

With James a bit more independent than many of us, you might remember a LA Monitor picture – with James becoming well-known in Los Alamos as a youngster in shorts walking to Mountain School one December. One January, James and a long-time friend were Senator Steve Stoddard’s Pages in Santa Fe – with James in a tie and jacket and his dress shorts. He’s followed his own timing for much of his life.

College hunting, James and I were traveling east from Glenwood Springs on I-70 when he discovered Denver. In 2002, James earned an Associate Degree in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of America (Denver), and expanded his interests in the last few years which led him towards a second degree at CU/Denver in Urban Studies and Planning. He had become an active reader, almost exclusively in non-fiction – and preferably in hard cover.

Throughout his life, James lost his father, Don Crocker, and his grandparents – Henry and Lois Aplington, Jean Aplington, and Gordon and Favette Crocker.

He is survived by his mother, Judy Crocker, Uncle James Aplington (Gardners, PA), Great Aunt Jan Faust (New Orleans, LA), and lifetime Texans – Uncle Don & Aunt Ginger Stone (Clarendon), and cousins Steve & Laurie Holcomb (Sweetwater), Andrew, Ashley & Cole Lamming (Lubbock), Justin, Ashley & Brooklyn Cardwell (Wichita Falls), and Brady & Leslie Ann Holcomb (Abilene).

Many of James’s friends are sharing him through Facebook sites, one with their memories, music, illustrations, and remembrances (James Crocker – Forever Our Friend) and a second created by a lifetime dear friend. On her Facebook,  I’ve gotten to see an Easter ~ 1986 picture of James and his friends Meghan and Jenny in their Sunday best. All of our friends, colleagues, and church family have been instrumental in supporting both James and me.

A service will be held later in the summer when full attendance is possible at our church.