James Arthur Ruhl, 77, of Wiggins, Colorado passed away on Friday, August 19 ^th in Longmont, Colorado.

Jim was born to Fred and Helen Ruhl on July 21, 1945 in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He attended schools in both Wiggins and Prospect Valley. In 1963, he married Janice Baumgartner and moved to Hoyt, Colorado where they lived and worked on the family farm. Jim and Janice had four children during their marriage, Shelley, Chance, Laci, and Britt.

His love of farming lasted throughout his lifetime as all of his future jobs were in local agriculture. After leaving the farm, Jim hauled feed and cattle for George Murphy. In addition to his work, he spent the next 20 years as a volunteer firefighter with the Wiggins Fire Department. Some of the most memorable years of his life were spent at the Wiggins Farmers' Co-op Elevator, where he loved every minute of weighing trucks and shooting the bull with farmers all day.

In 1989, he married Terri Westhoff with whom he raised Landon, Eric, and Haley. He then worked at his daughter's dairy farm until he settled into retirement. In 2007, Jim reconnected with a dear friend from their days at Prospect Valley High School, Louise Reichert Shepherd. They spend the next fifteen years together enjoying their retirement and soaking up time with family and friends.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Helen; brother, Allen (Bud) and sister, Patricia.

He is survived by his sweetheart, Louise Shepherd; his brother, Tom (Sandra) Ruhl; his sister, Kathy (Ted) Kingman; brother-in-law, Charlie Bass. Also, his children, Shelley (Steve) Gray, Chance Ruhl, Laci Byers, Britt (Norm) Dinis, Landon (Sabrina) Westhoff, Eric (Carrie) Klem, and Haley (Brady) Ruhl. Louise's three children, Denise (Ray), Kim (Kody), and Mark were also very special to him. He is also survived by twenty adoring grandchildren who loved his goofy personality, and a 1946 Massey-Ferguson tractor that meant so much to him. His family will dearly miss his never-ending farming stories, all of his silly jokes, and his unwavering love and support.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, September 7 ^th at 11:00 AM at the Wiggins Community Church.

Memorial donations may be made to the Wiggins Community Church in lieu of flowers.