James Harrell
1941 – 2024

James (Jim) Meacham Harrell was born March 23, 1941 to Hoke and Evelyn Harrell in Birmingham, Alabama at West End Baptist Hospital. He died April 21, 2024 in Montgomery. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Kathy, and his granddaughter Olivia(Libby). He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Bonnie; his sister, Judy Wyatt; his children, Ed and David Harrell; Brooks and Mark Taylor, and Angela Taylor Forrester; several grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

He grew up in Birmingham, graduating from Ensley High School in 1949. After high school, he attended the University of Alabama where he was a member of the SGA legislature, the Marketing Club, and the Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity. He graduated with a BS in Business in 1964. 

While working at Penny's in Birmingham, he was set up on a blind date with Kathy Bumpers, a nursing student at the Birmigham Baptist Hospital School of Nursing. The two married on January 22, 1966 and Forest Avenue Baptist Church in Jackson, Alabama. Not surprisingly to anyone who knew him, one night of their honeymoon was spent in Tuscaloosa.

Shortly after his marriage, Jim was transferred to Atlanta. He stayed there with Penny's for two years before moving to back to Alabama to work with Hart-Greer Inc. In 1969, his first son was born, James Edward. Shortly after, he started with Liberty Mutual who moved him back to Birmingham and then to Montgomery. In 1974, he expanded his family again, as his second son was born, John David. Work took him back to Mobile for several years, and finally Montgomery. 

After his wife Kathy passed away in 2005, Jim married Bonnie Taylor in March of 2011. He technically retired from Turner and Hamrick in 2017, however was much later that he actually stopped working for them. 

Post retirement, he spent his days traveling to visit family; staying active within his church, Vaughn Park Church of Christ; giving sage advice to his grandchildren (like "buy a Kia Stinger its technically a hatchback so it is practical"); and of course watching Alabama Football. 

Jim's first love was Alabama football. As a kid, his father would take him to the games and, when Alabama was playing out of town, they would drive down to Auburn specifically to cheer against the Tigers. He kept this passion throughout his life, being a season ticket holder from 1983 until his passing. This passion was about much more than the football. This was how he bonded; this was how he wanted to spend quality time with you. 

Everything he did, he did with this same passion. Work, Church, and most notably his relationships. Always willing to help out, and often refusing to take credit or acknowledgment of his actions. For years, every Christmas, he loaded up his Miata with as many Honeybaked Hams that he could fit and delivered them to shut-ins all across the state. 

He was a remarkable man. There are people you meet in life that you immediately know are special. He was one of them. 

"If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, Roll, Tide, Roll!”