Junius David Underwood, “J.D.”

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM, April 15, 2016, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence. A reception will follow at 3:00 p.m. at the Eldridge Hotel – Big 6 Room.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or a charity of the donor’s choice, sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.

Junius David Underwood, son of Junius Clark Underwood and Lucille Evans Underwood, passed away at Pathways Hospice Care in Loveland, Colorado, on January 29, 2016. He was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on April 17, 1932. He completed his primary and secondary education in the Lawrence Public Schools and graduated in 1954 with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He served in the United States Navy, stationed in California. In 1957, he married Jane Hill in Emporia Kansas. They were married for twenty years and had three children.

In Lawrence he spent the bulk of his career employed as a stockbroker by H. O. Peet & Company, Piper Jaffray, and Kidder Peabody & Company. After moving to Steamboat Springs, CO, in 1996, he managed his own small investment company until 2004, when he moved to Glacier View near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, to join his companion, Joan Kniffen, with whom he shared many happy years. He delighted in her culinary creations, especially all things chocolate.

He will be remembered for his sharp mind, keen wit and great love of the outdoors. His early years at Lakeview Hunting and Fishing Club fostered this life-long love. He was an avid snow-skier, golfer and mountain enthusiast. Family members found Rocky Mountain hikes with J.D. exciting and sometimes longer than expected. He found great joy in music, having studied both violin and piano, and was graceful on the dance floor. He and daughter Katherine danced the polka at her wedding reception. A voracious reader, he frequently quoted poetry and Shakespeare.

Preceding him in death were Junius and Lucille Underwood, his sister Meredith Jane Underwood and Jane Hill Underwood. J.D.’s parents and grandparents were long-time residents of the Lawrence community. His great-grandfather survived Quantrill’s Raid.

He is survived by his companion, Joan Kniffen, Loveland, CO, three children, David Underwood (Nancy)Redmond, WA, Katherine Arendt (Rick), Bowie, MD, Paul Underwood (Jessica), Steamboat Springs, CO, two grandchildren, Danci and Daela Underwood, Redmond, WA, a brother, Roger Underwood (Brenda), Jacksonville, FL, a sister, Judy Underwood Bauer (Gene), Lawrence, KS, nieces Beth Weldon, (Roger) Benton, AR, Paddy Creveling (Ken), Jacksonville, FL, Caroline Bauer, Brooklyn, NY, nephews Matt Cooley (Calvin Sun), Long Eddy, NY, J. Boone Bauer (Andrew Turner), San Luis Obispo, CA, two great-nieces and three great-nephews.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM, April 15, 2016, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or a charity of the donor’s choice, sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.