Dr. Tommy James

Dr. Tommy James (Walter Thomas James) passed away peacefully on June 14, 2020, at the age of 76. He was born in Macon, Georgia, on January 19, 1944. He graduated from Lee High School in Montgomery where he was class president and voted “best personality.” He graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor’s Degree before attending The University of Alabama School of Dentistry where he graduated with a specialty in pediatric dentistry. He practiced in central Alabama for 41 years.

He founded Montgomery Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics; Prattville Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics; and a practice in Auburn. He was President Emeritus of these practices. He loved his patients and in turn they loved him very much. His thousands of patients will remember his beard, the smell of his cologne and him singing and humming to country music on WLWI while he worked on their teeth. They may also remember the huge aquariums, the animals on the walls and the Tooth Fairy in his offices. They also may remember him calling the boys “bud” and the girls “sweetie pie.”

Tommy loved fishing and attending Auburn sporting events; he was a longtime supporter of the Auburn Basketball and Football programs. He also loved attending The Kentucky Derby, and an occasional trip to the casino. But, he enjoyed nothing more than trips to Sandestin. Tommy founded the Boys and Girls Clubs Golf Tournament at the Wynlakes Golf and Country Club hosted by Coach Pat Dye and other Auburn greats. Many fond memories were made at these events and, more importantly, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Montgomery, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors.

Tommy’s love for his son was immeasurable and matched, or possibly surpassed, only by his immense love for his grandsons Hart and Tyler. He would later come to very much love his other grandchildren, Bennett, Jane Katherine and Ella. All of them will miss him dearly.

Tommy was preceded in death by his parents, Mayor Earl James and Dorothy James. He is survived by his former wife and lifetime friend and companion, Connie James, (Montgomery); his sisters Kandy Hudson and Ginger Bryant, (Montgomery) his son Tommy, and his daughter-in-law Denise, whom he adored, (Mountain Brook); his grandchildren, Hart James, Tyler James, Bennett Suttles, Jane Katherine Suttles and Ella Suttles, (Mountain Brook), and his nephews Dan Hudson (Teresa) and Don Hudson (Ami).

There will be a visitation on Thursday, June 18 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Leak Memory Chapel and graveside service at 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 21 at Greenwood Cemetery. Pallbearers are: Jack Shalhoop, Dr. Rob Owen, Tommy Paul, Dr. Jerry Gurley, Dr. Ward Smith and Daryl Steinberg. Honorary Pallbearers are: his longtime assistant and dear friend Kathy Paul, his dental partners Dr. John Payne, Dr. David Stanley and Dr. Davis Denney, and the entire staffs of Montgomery Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics and Prattville Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics and his former dental partner, Dr. Keri Miller. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the River Region or the charity of one's choice.