Obituary of James Gregory Lefferdink

James Gregory “Greg” Lefferdink passed away due to natural causes on February 17, 2023, at The Village at Belmar Retirement Community in Lakewood, Colorado. Greg was born May 12, 1935, on the second floor of the Lefferdink Funeral Home run by his grandfather in Ft. Lupton, Colorado. He was raised by his loving grandparents J.D. and Clara Lefferdink. They moved to Denver when Greg was in junior high, and he later attended East High School. Greg played football for East High School and later for the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder. He paid his way through college, living with his Uncle Merle and Aunt Juana Mae Lefferdink to save money. At college, he met the love of his life, Gladi, while “hashing” at her sorority. At that time, hashers served food to sorority members in exchange for a good meal. Gladi was immediately smitten by Greg’s smile and charm. Greg and Gladi were married on September 7, 1956, and raised their two children Leslie and Joe in Boulder, Colorado. They were married for nearly 61 years when Gladi passed away on August 8, 2016. They had a loving marriage, were active CU Buffalo alumni, and were involved in their Mt Calvary Lutheran Church community. They loved entertaining friends and had a foolproof system—Gladi cooked fabulous meals and Greg took care of set up and clean up. He made sure the dishes were washed and put away before bed so his wife would have a clean kitchen to wake up to the next morning. Greg spent most of his career at IBM in various management positions. He is featured in an oral history posted at the Boulder Community Library about the early days at IBM. Greg was called to give back to his community and he enthusiastically responded. He served on Boulder City Council from 1976-1984, was Church Council President at Mt. Calvary, was President of the CU Alumni Director’s Club, was an active member of Kiwanis, served on the board for Share-A-Gift, and volunteered in the Records Department at the Boulder Police Department. He also established a music scholarship at CU in memory of his wife. As busy as he was, Greg’s priority was always his family. He loved his wife, children, and grandchildren unconditionally. He supported his wife in her endeavors and took great care of her as her eyesight declined. He sacrificed to provide for his children throughout their lives. Joe and Leslie often remarked how fortunate they were to have Greg as their dad. Greg was predeceased by his wife Gladeane “Gladi” Lefferdink and his son Joseph “Joe” Merle Lefferdink. He is survived by his daughter Leslie Lefferdink Gardner, grandchildren Ben Romsdahl, Kayla Gardner, Noah Lefferdink, Micah Lefferdink, and great-granddaughter Maeve Davenport. A memorial service for Greg will be held at Atonement Lutheran Church, 685 Inca Pkwy, Boulder, CO 80303, on Wednesday, April 19 at 11:00 a.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, consider dropping a generous gift in a Salvation Army red bucket during the holidays. The Salvation Army was one of Greg’s favorite charities. True to his nature, he loved ringing the bells, and charming passersby with his warm smile and enthusiastic greeting.