Littleton police identified the man killed Sunday night when his sports-utility vehicle crashed in a drainage ditch off South Santa Fe Drive.
Joe Trimble, 77, founded Broadway Estates Veterinary Clinic in Littleton in 1960, a practice still operated near its original location by his son, Dr. Phil Trimble.
Jack Swearingen, another veterinarian, shared a building with Trimble for nearly 40 years.
“He always had such a wonderful, positive attitude toward life,” Swearingen said. “And he loved the Lord.”
Besides volunteering with the Denver Dumb Friends League and the Colorado Humane Society, Trimble and Swearingen donated services to the poor in the names of the deceased animals of customers as a memorial for each pet, Swearingen recalled.
“Joe was a caring person,” he said. “I loved him dearly.”
His funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Front Range Christian School at 6637 W. Ottawa Ave. in Littleton. Trimble is survived by his wife, Rita, five children and numerous grandchildren, Swearingen said.
Trimble died after his Ford Explorer ran off Santa Fe and into a drainage ditch and then caught fire. The accident happened north of C-470 about 7:15 p.m. Sunday.
An autopsy is pending but Swearingen said Trimble had had several heart attacks.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
