Obituary of James S. Mandel

James Mandel was the kindest, most generous man in the room, except when he wanted to appear brazenly outspoken and outrageous. Jimmy could out-swear a drunken sailor and make you laugh and blush simultaneously. Born to Goldene and Paul Mandel in Denver, CO, he was the middle of three children and the most brash. At the age of 7, Jimmy’s uncles would put him and his younger cousin, Linda, on a couple of Shetlands, give them some change, and send them off toward the horizon to seek personal growth and Dairy Queen. That was the beginning of Jimmy’s love for travel, adventure and fine dining. He took luxurious trips with his wife and high school sweetheart, Mindy Mandel, who preceded him in death by 13 years. In recent years, when his MS kept him from traveling to exotic places, he imported food, courtesy of the world wide web and Amazon. As the Senior Vice President of Vail Resorts Development, Jimmy was the lead attorney in the company’s IPO. Jimmy loved his animals. Over the course of his life, he doted over 6 dogs, 3 cats and 1 potty mouthed parrot. He lived his life by his own rules and died five days after his 70th birthday due to complications related to Covid-19. He is survived by his older sister, Jacquie (Michael) Yoches, and preceded in death by his younger brother, Steven Mandel. Jimmy clearly stated “no memorial service,” but if you want to remember him, please send donations to Rocky Mountain MS Center (www.mscenter.org) or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (www.bcrf.org).