James Walter Huggins, Jr.

James Walter Huggins, 91, died peacefully from natural causes on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Fairhope, AL.

He was born Aug. 2, 1934, in Mobile to James Walter and Ottilia Huggins. His childhood was divided, growing up in Mobile and Fairhope, spending countless hours playing on sands of Magnolia Beach. He attended Old Shell Elementary School and graduated from Murphy High School, where he lettered in track as a sprinter. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), finishing his studies in three years. He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He later earned a master’s degree in management in Huntsville.

Upon graduation, he was assigned to U.S. Army Reserve duty at Fort Knox, training in M-41 and M-48 tanks. While stationed there, he met his wife, Judy. The newlyweds started in New Orleans before moving to Mobile, where he worked at Brookley Air Force Base. He transferred to Redstone Arsenal and served several U.S. Army Missile commands before retiring with U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Agency.

In Huntsville, Mr. Huggins was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, where his children attended elementary school. He kept active by dancing, sailing, camping and being a Do-It-Yourself man with his home and cars. He and Judy restored an old, wooden sailboat and enjoyed it for years at Brown’s Creek on Guntersville Lake. He took his family camping at state parks throughout North Alabama and Tennessee. Wherever he was on fall Saturdays, he kept a radio near so he could cheer on his Auburn Tigers.

Mr. Huggins retired in Fairhope and stayed active with yard work, sailing, dancing, traveling and walking his dog. He helped coordinate historic preservation efforts, including Fairhope’s tour of historic homes. He loved planting flowers, especially hibiscus, and was a Baldwin County Master Gardener. He routinely danced as many as three nights a week and joked that he would still be the fastest man on the dance floor at age 100. He even performed swing dances at the Saenger Theater and Bellingrath Gardens. He traveled abroad with Baldwin Senior Travelers and was a member of Fairhope First United Methodist Church.

He is survived by three children: Alan (Michelle) Huggins of Fairhope, Cindy (Brad) Andersen of Rochester, MN, and Paul Huggins of Huntsville; and three grandchildren: Ashton (Ben) Andersen-Parks of Minneapolis, MN, Jaclyn Andersen of Des Moines, IA, and Houston (Rebekah) Huggins of Denver, CO.

A family graveside service will be at Fairhope Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Women’s Care Medical Center in Robertsdale.

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