James Alexander Anschutz passed away on April 3, at the age of 81 in Loveland, Colo. He was born on January 3, 1944, in Rapid City, S.D., to Alex and Mildred (Norlin) Anschutz and grew up in a large and loving family, the youngest of seven children.
Jim’s love for music shaped his entire life, starting with playing guitar for an audience of one, his beloved mother. He often spoke of how he would create a stage of milk crates and a curtain of sheets on the clothesline to perform for her, much to her delight. At 13, he won a talent show on a Rapid City radio station, and then it was on to performing in nightclubs. For over 50 years, he played lead guitar professionally across South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. He was well known for his rendition of the song “Malaguena” and would bring the house down when he’d lay on the ground and play the guitar behind his back. His skill and passion for music earned him recognition with inductions into the South Dakota Rock & Rollers Hall of Fame and the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame.
Jim graduated from Rapid City Central High School and earned a degree from Casper College.
In February 1965, he married the love of his life, Gladys, after meeting her at the Beacon Club in Casper, where Jim was playing in the band. They spent 51 beautiful years together. Their union was filled with unwavering love, coffee and cigarettes, laughter, incessant bickering, and, of course, music.
In addition to his career in music, Jim spent many years working in the medical profession as a flight-for-life dispatcher at St. Anthony Hospital in Denver and as a financial counselor at Lutheran Medical Center before his retirement. In 1980, Jim and Gladys moved from Colorado to Wyoming and purchased the Eagle Bar in LaBarge. Jim’s bad jokes, love of Budweiser, and infectious sense of humor quickly earned him the friendship of many in the small town. He enjoyed bringing live music to the community and especially cherished his time playing in a band with his two brothers-in-law, Jimmy and Bobby Kujala.
Jim’s memory lives on through his children, Michelle (Christopher) Jabs of Windsor, Colo., and Jim (Amy) Anschutz of Big Piney, Wyo.; Allen (Annie) Sterner of Arvada, Colo., and Dale (Sharon) Sterner of Casper, Wyo. He is also survived by many grandchildren, nieces and nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and friends.
Jim is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gladys; his parents, Alex and Mildred Anschutz; and his siblings, Robert, Lloyd, Bill, Joyce, Berdena, and Rose. Though he is no longer with us, Jim’s legacy as a kind and loving father, grandfather, husband, musician, and friend will live on in the hearts of all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at the American Legion in Windsor at 4 p.m. on April 19.
