Dr. James (Jim) C. Ascough II56, of Ft. Collins, CO, passed away unexpectedly on December 1, 2016. He was born on November 21, 1960 in Morgantown, WV and lived in Athens, GA before the family moved to W. Lafayette in 1967.He attended W. Lafayette schools and graduated from W. Lafayette High School in 1978 where he made many strong friends and played football. His friends contributed funds to plant a 250 tree memorial woods in Big Thompson Canyon near Estes Park, CO. He graduated from Purdue University with Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees in Agricultural Engineering.He met his wife, Dr. Lois Deer-Ascough while they were doctoral students and they married in Franklin, IN on June 3, 1989. They moved to Ft. Collins, CO in 1994 when Jim accepted a position with USDA-ARS as a research scientist. He was currently a Hydraulic Engineer with the USDA-ARS Water management and Systems Research Unit. He published about 100 articles and book chapters as well as edited journals and organized scientific conventions. He was internationally known for introducing artificial intelligence into math models for water and agricultural research in the 1990s. He enjoyed working with post­docs from this and other countries.He was an adjunct professor in seven departments at Colorado State University. He delighted in playing and watching many sports and strongly supported his children's athletic interests. He loved to ride bikes, fish and hike.He was a caring mentor in sharing God's creations with his children, Thomas James (TJ) and Katherine (Katie Ann). Beyond his immediate family he is survived by his parents, Sue Ann Ascough of W. Lafayette, and Dr. James C. Ascough of rural W. Lafayette; his younger brother, Timothy H. Ascough (Dr. Ybee) and nephew Ymar of San Diego, CA.A service was held earlier at the Faith Evangelical Free Church in Ft. Collins.