James Allan Fargo |
| Posted 2021-05-26 by mhenderson |
| Published in The Arizona Republic on May 25, 2021 - Phoenix, Arizona - James Allan Fargo, 82 of Greeley, Colorado passed away April 29, 2021 after a hard-fought battle with Leukemia. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin on July 2, 1938 to Norman and Bernadette (Goodnetter) Fargo where he completed his early education. During his middle school years, his family moved to Florida before moving to Albuquerque, NM where James finished his high school education. During high school he had a paper route and he soon learned that he could deliver more papers and earn more money if he had a motorized scooter. He asked his Mom to help him get this scooter and several days later came home with a Triumph motorcycle that didn't make his mom very happy. His love for going fast started that day on the back of that Triumph. After high school, James joined the New Mexico Air National Guard where he spent the next three years training and learning to be an auto mechanic. He was honorably discharged and headed to New Mexico State University where he earned a bachelors degree in Industrial Arts. He continued his need for speed by building hot rods and joining a local car club. James had a friend in college who taught him how to make furniture and wood designs out of Walnut wood. Being creative and artistic minded, they created furniture and display pieces that were used all over the country. During this time James attended the first annual National Drag Meet in Great Bend, KS. He took his instamatic camera with him to this race and photographed all the cars and the event for his own interest. Later this would become a second career. He continued to work on cars with friends and was always finding ways to make them go faster. In 1964 he was married to Mary and started a family in Albuquerque with the birth of his son, Jim. Their new family moved to Mesa, Arizona where a friend helped him get a job. A couple of years later the family moved to Phoenix and James started his own carpet cleaning business and soon added painting and restoration services to his business. In 1969 his second child John came along and James continued to build his business. While in Phoenix it didn't take him long to find the local dirt track where he attended races most weekends. While raising his family he purchased his first Canon camera and began photographing anything that caught his eye from landscapes, people, planes, trains and automobiles. During the late 80's he found himself at the local dirt track but instead of watching the race from the grandstands he was inside the track photographing the cars just like he did in his earlier years. James made many friends at the race tracks through the years and was a contributor to the racers and the tracks he was a part of. In 1990 he lost his wife Mary to an aneurism but continued to work and take pictures. Now he found himself traveling all over the country taking pictures at most of the major races around the country, as his photography picked up his restorations business was slowing down. During this time a neighbor suggested he meet a friend of theirs and not long after that first date in 1995 he married Janice his next wife. In 2004 he lost her to breast cancer. After many years of knowing Marilynn they began dating and found they enjoyed spending time together. They fell in love and after James proposed they were married in 2013 at a ceremony held at a racing museum in Phoenix, Arizona. They spent summers in Colorado and winters in Arizona where Marilynn has a home in Prescott Valley. They were always looking for a new adventure and their journeys took them to race events, site seeing adventures, flying in military aircraft, riding trains, attending car shows or finding unique points of interest or antique stores somewhere off the beaten path. They made friends everywhere they went and James always had his camera with him to document everything they did together. He was a fanatic as a racing photographer and his photographs are published in many books and magazines throughout the racing community. James and Marilynn were active members of the Northern Colorado Classic Cruisers car club and as a car enthusiast he restored a 57 Chevy and owned several other classic cars that participated in car shows all over the Rocky Mountain region winning dozens of awards. His house was like a museum of art, antiques, cars and racing memorabilia and he loved to share it with people. He loved his country and would share stories of our military with anyone that would listen. He always had an appreciation for those that served and sacrificed for this country. He attended Generations Church in Greeley with Marilynn and they participated regularly with the Hearty Souls group at the church. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Jean Heising; two wives, Mary Fargo in 1990 and Jan Fargo in 2004. He is survived by his wife, Marylinn of Greeley, Colorado; his sons, Jim (Char) Fargo of Fresno, California and John (Flevia) Fargo of Greeley; grandchildren, Maggie Coggswell and Jimmy Fargo both of Johnstown, Colorado and Daniel, Jamie and John Fargo all of Greeley, Colorado. A Life Celebration will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, May 29 at Generations Church, 3600 W. 22nd Street, Greeley with a reception to follow. Memorial gifts may be made "Dayspring Christian Academy" in care of Adamson Life Celebration Home, 2000 47th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634. Friends may leave condolences at AdamsonCares.com. |
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