James F. Hughes of Ridgway, CO passed away at home on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.

Family and friends knew Jimmy by many nicknames: Jim, Jimmy, Jake, Jake the Snake, Snowplow Jimmy, Cowboy Jimmy, and The Ranch Manager.

Jimmy was a third-generation native of Tarrytown, NY and attended the Tarrytown school system. Industrious from a young age, he was very proud of the jobs he did as a boy. He mowed lawns and shoveled for neighbors, and had a paper route in the Crest. Later, he worked as a dishwasher at Marymount College and delivered false teeth for Drs. Stoner & Freer.

In 1963, he became a Certified Chassis Service Technician at General Motors Training Center in North Tarrytown. He then worked on the GM (Fisher Body) Car Bodies Line in 1964/65.

In 1965, Jimmy became an Authorized Triumph Motorcycle Mechanic, working at House of Triumph Bronx, NY and Petri Motors Sales in Connecticut. Over the years, he worked in the service departments at various motorcycle shops.

During the 1970’s & 80’s, Jimmy worked for the Westchester County Maintenance Department; the Grasslands complex. Later, he transitioned to the role of Steam Plant Operator for New York Medical College.

Jimmy also worked on occasions with tree service and deck building companies. He could repair anything with his hands; he had his own garage in North Tarrytown where he did private motorcycle repairs and restored classic Triumph Motorcycles.

From 1988-1991, he lived in Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY.

In 1991, he moved to Avon, CO where he started his own landscaping business and came to be known as Snowplow Jimmy.

In 2008, he moved to Ridgway, CO with Judy Darwick (“The Little Woman”), and he became “The Ranch Manager” of her 12-acre ranch known as “The Diamond J.”

Jimmy loved to sit on the porch with a smoke, a cup of coffee, and his pets admiring the beautiful view of Mount Sneffels.

Throughout his entire life, Jimmy enjoyed an active lifestyle filled with sports and activities. He took part in hockey on the Tarrytown Lakes, was a team member on the French Club Team, the Shorty’s Bar Team, as well as playing at The Harvey School Rink and on Nottingham Lake. He had an avid passion for riding, racing, repairing and restoring Triumph motorcycles and a variety of dirt bikes. He frequently boated and water skied on the Hudson River. Jimmy enjoyed camping in the Catskills along with bicycling, and tennis.

Later, the snow sports drew him to the Colorado mountains. Jimmy loved skiing at Vail and Telluride, as well as a few backcountry spots like Camp Hale near Leadville. He enjoyed snowmobiling and continued playing hockey. His passion for motorcycles was preserved through dirt bike rides on the Bureau of Land Management trails.

When Jimmy moved to the “Diamond J Ranch” he had the opportunity to become the cowboy he always wanted to be. He enjoyed the horses, dogs, cats and wildlife that accompany the lifestyle. Together with Judy he owned, rode, and cared for several horses. Often Jimmy helped rancher friends with “Cowboy Sundays,” managing cattle and baling hay. He discovered his artistic side through “barn art,” engraving and burning art into barn wood and turning used horseshoes and metal scraps into beautiful creations.

Jimmy lived a rich life doing the things he loved with family and many good friends by his side. There is no shortage of stories being told and enjoyed about his experiences.

Jimmy is survived by his sister, Maureen B. Neilson of Bradenton, FL; his daughter, Heather L. Valdez (Jim) of Wappingers Falls, NY; his grandson, Justin J. Valdez of Wappingers Falls, NY; his longtime companion Judy Darwick of Ridgway, CO; and his beloved pets; Blue 2, Sister Kitty, Elvis and Sassy.

He was predeceased by his mother, Ruth C. Hughes of Bradenton, FL, Cornwall-on Hudson and Tarrytown, NY.

A celebration of Jimmy’s life will be scheduled at a future date in Colorado and New York.