John Coloff

John Coloff, 99, was born April 29, 1925, at the Puritan Coal Mining Camp near Erie, CO. He passed peacefully on August 10, 2024, at the HopeWest Care Center in Grand Junction, CO, with family by his side.

He was raised in Longmont, CO. While in high school, he got a job helping unload Safeway trucks and that was the beginning of his 42-year career with Safeway Stores. When he was old enough to qualify to drive a “big rig”, he started driving for Safeway and delivered to stores in Wyoming and Nebraska before becoming a Driver Supervisor.

He met his future wife, Jeanné, on a blind date in February 1949, and they were married the following September. They resided in Arvada, CO, and there raised their daughter and son. When John retired, they moved to Grand Junction, CO, to be close to their daughter and grandson.

John enjoyed gardening, and he and his wife took great pride in their yard and garden. He took up woodworking as a hobby when he retired and became quite a craftsman. Of course, trucks were his favorite thing to make – from replicas of big Safeway trucks to smaller desktop pickup trucks for business cards. He also made personalized trains for some of the “littles” of family and friends. We know the 89 recipients who have been blessed with his gift of a numbered and dated truck will cherish it and remember him with a smile!

On any given Friday, you could count on John going to the bank for cookies and coffee and then stopping to chat with his buddies at Fuoco Honda. If he didn’t show up at the bank, his daughter would get a call to make sure he was ok!

John is survived by his daughter Janet St. Clair (Jim), son Jim Coloff (Stacy), three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and three brothers.

Our Dad, Pops, Dado, and Grandpa will truly be missed.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the kind and compassionate caregivers at the HopeWest Care Center for caring for ALL of us!

No service is planned.

Please consider a donation in John’s name to HopeWest Care Center, 3090 N. 12th St, Grand Junction, CO, 81506.