James Derop

It is with a heavy heart we share the passing of James "Jim" Leon DeRop, 82, departing peacefully the morning of November 7, 2022, in Casper, Wyoming.

Jim was born in 1940 in New York City, New York, and then subsequently moved to the Bronx where he began his primary education and spent the first 8 years of his early life. It was likely during this early period when his 'street sense' emerged, which he honed and utilized throughout his 82 years of life. His family moved to Michigan in 1948 where he completed his secondary education and enjoyed playing basketball on the high school team.

In 1958, after completing high school, Jim joined the Army and was stationed in the states of Nevada and New Mexico. Post service, Jim joined the travel industry working at Western Airlines for nearly 20 years. His exemplary employment at Western Airlines was rewarded with several promotions and relocations, marked by spending time in the states of Washington, California, Colorado and ultimately Wyoming. It was with Western Airlines that he found his lust for travel and the life changing experiences that his international work assignments brought. His passion for travel ultimately led to joining World Wide Travel in 1986. Along with two business partners, Jim led World Wide Travel as an owner and President for 30 years. He was a man of adventure and traveled around the world for most of his life, always seeking to understand and to improve the life of the communities he visited. While he was very proud of the fact he visited 69 countries, he was always planning and plotting a path to visit more.

Outside of travel, Jim enjoyed staying active with city and state initiatives, serving on several boards including the United Way, Ambassador to the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Wildcatters, the Airport Board, and several economic Development Boards. He was known as a "Go Big or Go Home" guy.

Maybe, most importantly, he was a man of generosity and love. He ardently loved people and consistently sought to help anyone in need, he voraciously loved the city of Casper and the state of Wyoming, and he reveled in exposing younger generations to the joy of international travel.

Lastly, Jim enjoyed 55 years of marriage to his wife Sandy and is survived by his sons Robert (and family) of Northfield, MN and Dax (and family) of Park City, UT and his daughter, Deidre (and family) of Cheyenne, WY. Jim was blessed with and leaves behind 8 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

Please feel welcomed to join us in celebrating his life at 2:00 PM, Saturday, November 12, 2022 at Liberty Baptist Church, 1203 South Oak, Casper, Wyoming.

Arrangements are under the direction of Newcomer Casper Chapel. To leave a special message for the family, please select the "Share Memories" option.