Jack Leaford Fink

Jack L. Fink, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend - passed away peacefully at TRU Hospice in Longmont, Colorado, Thursday, July 3, 2025.   He was 91.

Jack was an only child born on December 8, 1933 to Jack and Gertrude Cushenberry Fink in Colorado Springs, Colorado where he grew up.

Jack met Nonien Schneurle while visiting Estes Park in 1957. After a fairly short courtship, they were married at the Buckhorn Church in Loveland, Colorado on March 27, 1958. They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary in March. The two spent only a handful of days apart.

They had two daughters, Suzette and Babette and made their home mostly in Boulder, Colorado.

After high school and some technical courses, Jack became an Electrical Engineer and specialized in Radio Frequency (RF).  At Ball Aerospace he was involved in the early space programs.   He designed electronics for many of the early satellite missions and was present as support staff for several of the launches out of Cape Canaveral, FL.   He was very proud of his work on the Orbital Solar Observatory (OSO-2) built for the Goddard Space Center of NASA.

Following his career at Ball, he went on to work at the National Center For Atmospheric  Research (NCAR) where he participated in cutting-edge weather science, developing innovative instrumentation used in research.  He retired early at the age of 54. 

Jack was a ham radio operator for over 70 years and until very recently, enjoyed talking to other hams all over the world. His call sign is WOIEA. 

Jack and Nonien loved to go camping and fishing with their family. They started out tent camping, bought a camper and then bought a house in historic Creede, Colorado. They bought their first S Lazy U cabin, built onto that and then built their dream cabin starting in 1995. This log cabin was a labor of love, designed and meticulously built and finished by them both. Neighbors, friends and family alike spent many happy times there.

Jack also served on the board there and was always lending a hand to the club and members.

Chasing the fish, they then bought a home in Aransas Pass, Texas in 2000 where they wintered for about 20 years. Jack spent many hours in his boat fishing the bay with Nonien, friends and family. When the grandkids and guests went out with him, he worked extra hard to make sure they caught fish!  For many years, they divided their time between their three homes.

In Boulder, they had horses for many years kept in a barn they built. Jack enjoyed driving his tractors and cutting hay on his and other properties to keep the horses fed.Jack had a machine shop in Boulder and a woodworking shop in Creede. Along with his ability to make and repair almost anything, he and Nonien also had a hobby of making Mah Jongg racks (Jack’s Racks) from various types of interesting woods. While they didn’t keep a count, it’s likely that nearly 200 Mah Johgg players have a set of his racks with the majority of the racks residing in Colorado and Texas.  He made 16 sets last summer at the age of 90.

Jack’s motto was, “There isn’t a problem that cannot be solved.” He had a strong work ethic and was always willing to help others. He did his best to pass this along to his family.

Jack was a truly remarkable grandfather, deeply loved and admired by his grandchildren who looked up to him with immense gratitude and respect. His unwavering support shone through in countless ways, from teaching them to fish, to joyful moments by the water, to cheering them on at their sporting games. His proud smile was a constant presence in the stands. He helped in guiding them through life’s milestones, offering first driving lessons and lending his skilled hands to projects like restoring old cars. Jack always had good advice to give to the grandkids, because he "just wanted what's best" for them, and his generous spirit and boundless love left a lasting legacy that they will carry forever.

Jack is survived by his wife, Nonien; their daughters Suzette (Carl) Stern and Babette (Craig) Ogawa; seven grandchildren, Sean, Christy, Emmy, Garrett, Trevor, Jack and Lian; and three great-grandsons, Garrison, Sage and Riley. 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date to honor Jack.  Details will be announced once finalized.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to TRU Hospice in Jack Fink’s memory