John Andrew Winters, Sr.
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John's obituary
OBITUARY
John Andrew Winters, Sr., aged seventy-nine, passed away at his residence in Denver,
Colorado in early afternoon on Thursday, November 20, 2025, of natural causes.
He was born in Louisville, KY to Donald Winters and his wife, Frances Weaver Winters
on September 24, 1946.
His early education was at the Poplar Grove School in Monroe County on the outskirts of
Bloomington, IN. Later secondary School education was in the public schools of Hattiesburg,
MS and he received his high school diploma from Hattiesburg High School in May 1964.
He attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he received his B.S. degree with a
major in Business Administration in 1968.
Rather than be drafted, he joined the United States Army in the summer of 1968, applying
for Officer Candidate School. At Ft. Benning, GA, he was reassigned to regular boot camp
because it was determined that he was color-blind—he couldn’t see the infra-red sights on a
green field! His basic training took place at Ft. Polk, LA and later at Ft. Leonard Wood in
Missouri. He did a tour of duty, 4/20/1970-3/13/1971, in Vietnam. Upon returning to the U.S.,
he was assigned to a recruitment center in Memphis, TN, where he was honorably discharged
on 4/7/1975.
After his military obligation, John took a position with Fed Ex, working first in Memphis and
then as manager of the New Orleans/Baton Rouge office, and subsequently as assistant
manager in Denver, CO. Soon after this latter assignment, he left Fed-Ex and entered the food
service industry, working initially as a waiter at The Fort, in Morrison, CO. Next, he worked at
Turn of the Century restaurant on W. 14th Avenue Parkway in Denver. Soon, he and two
partners purchased the War Horse Inn, in Parker, CO, and John served as manager and chief
cook and bottle washer. Subsequently, the partners expanded their enterprise to include the
Iron Works Pub, near Broncos stadium; and Khaki’s restaurant near the Castle Pines Golf Club
in Castle Rock, CO. All these venues have since closed or changed ownership. For the last
twenty years of his professional life, John was affiliated with Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen in
Greenwood Village, CO. He retired in September 2024.
John enjoyed playing golf, and he was an avid sports fan, especially following the NFL Denver
Broncos and the NBA Denver Nuggets. Before his military experiences, he enjoyed squirrel
and deer hunting but gave up hunting altogether upon returning home.
John was preceded in death by his father and mother, Donald and Frances Weaver Winters, his
sister, Janet Carol Winters, his mother and father-in-law, Mary Alice Troxell and Glen Dial
(with whom he was very close) and his ex-wife Deri Dial Winters.
He is survived by his son, John A. Winters, Jr.; his daughter, Sarah W. Riggs; his son-in-law,
Justin Riggs; two granddaughters: Adeline and Charlotte Riggs; a brother, Donald Eugene
Winters and sister-in-law, Cathy V. Winters; a niece, Amanda C. Winters and a nephew, Daniel
E. Winters.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
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