James Howard Severson

James Howard Severson, an industrious and community-minded Midwesterner who carried a lifelong love of a good joke, a lively party, and the outdoors, died March 6, 2026, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 92.

Born on October 26, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Jim grew up in a modest home built by his father, Harold. From his father he learned the values of thrift, honesty, and hard work, lessons he carried with him through a life that took him far beyond those early surroundings. As a boy he began skiing, and by his teens he was competing with the renowned Eau Claire Flying Eagles ski jumping club. He became a national champion and, in 1954, jumped before 35,000 spectators at Chicago’s Soldier Field. A knee injury ended his competitive career, but he passed his passion for the sport to his youngest son, Kris, who went on to ski for the U.S. Ski Team. Kris in turn guided his own sons, who became successful junior national slopestyle competitors.

Jim served in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, training on skis at Fort Carson, Colorado. He left the service with a deep appreciation for mountaineering, a mountain ram tattoo on his shoulder, and the woman who would become his wife. On July 30, 1955, he married Anne Marie Zappa, whom he had met at a college dance. Their marriage, bridging Norwegian-Protestant and Italian-Catholic backgrounds, lasted more than 62 years until Anne’s death from Parkinson’s disease in 2016.

After earning a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Denver in 1958, Jim built a long career with Uniroyal, eventually heading its labor relations department. The family lived in Colorado, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Houston before settling in Steamboat Springs in 1979 when he joined Colowyo Coal Company. Wherever they lived, Jim and Anne’s home was a gathering place for neighborhood parties, community meetings, and their legendary Christmas Eve celebrations. He supported his children in sports and outdoor pursuits, teaching them to fish, camp, water ski, and cook over open fires.

In Steamboat Springs, Jim and Anne became deeply involved in civic life. He served as president of the Kiwanis Club, supported the Steamboat Foundation, and was co-grand marshal with Anne of the 80th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival in 1993. Well into retirement he remained active, working as a handyman, fishing Steamboat Lake by canoe, and hunting elk. Even after Anne entered a nursing home in 2014, he visited her daily and taught his grandchildren to fish in the pond outside. He caught his final fish at age 90, netted by his grandson Jack.

Jim is survived by his five children and their partners, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his older brother, Gerald Roger Severson, and his sister, Margry Dawn Severson. The family will gather for a memorial at Steamboat Lake this summer.