James Edward McGuire

James Edward McGuire - known as “Jim” or “Jimmy” to his many friends and “Pop” to his children, grandchildren and great grandchild - passed away on February 26 at his home after a long illness. He was surrounded by his devoted wife and two children. He was 87.

Born in Beaumont, Texas on August 8, 1938 to Bessie Verda Batson and Charles Clayton “Mack” McGuire, Jim grew up in Birmingham, Alabama where he excelled in sports and attended Crestline Elementary School and graduated from Indian Springs High School in 1956. He attended the University of Alabama on a ROTC scholarship, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, met the love of his life, got married, and earned his Bachelors Degree in 1961. He remained an avid and at times a highly agitated Crimson Tide football fan for the rest of his life. If you ever watched a televised Bama game with him in all these years, you knew better than to speak or make unnecessary movements until commercial breaks.

Jim is predeceased by his parents, Bess and Mack, and his sister, Marilyn McGuire.

He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Brenda Trent McGuire of Kingsport, Tennessee; his children Trent McGuire Bullis of Mobile and West Palm Beach; Charles Hamilton “Ham” (Kim) of Mobile; grandchildren Windham McGuire Tinnell (Jordan) of Mobile, Eloise McGuire Bullis of Miami and James Edward “Jeb” Bullis currently of Nashville; great grandchildren Evelyn James Tinnell, and newborn twin boys, Wallace Alexander Tinnell and Winn Hamilton Tinnell born February 24, a double blessing during this tender time. He is also survived by his sister Patti McGuire Sachs of Mobile, two wonderful nephews, three beautiful nieces and many extended family members, all of whom were very much treasured, loved him back and always looked forward to being in his enjoyable, hospitable company.

Jim and his family moved to Mobile from Memphis on August 14, 1969 to start his new oil and gas “jobber” business, McGuire Oil Company. That also happened to be the day that Hurricane Camille roared ashore, wreaking devastation along the Gulf Coast. He worked passionately and tirelessly for 57 years at the helm with his son Ham and his extremely loyal, accomplished employees, who became like family, to grow his business as a middleman in the petroleum industry. His efforts led to decades-long loyal customers and lifelong friendships because of his exceptional business acumen, consistently excellent customer service, integrity and the ability to create strong relationships that have endured to this day. During his tenure as President of McGuire Oil, Jim was heavily instrumental in helping pass legislation in the groundbreaking McGuire v Mapco lawsuit that set the stage for protection of jobbers nationwide from low cost sales. It was and still remains one of the strongest low cost sales laws in the country. He was an active and vocal member of the Alabama Oilmens Association, and was inducted into the Petroleum and Convenience Marketing Hall of fame for his early and consistent efforts over the years.

Jim loved his family more than anything and was fiercely devoted to his friends. He was a generous and loyal friend and family man, never seeking the spotlight, and avoiding any sort of fanfare. He could make you laugh until you cried and was well known for his quick, acerbic wit and hilarious comebacks and observations. No one he truly cared for ever escaped some epic ribbing, but he was always quick to reassure “you only tease the ones you love.” He was always well turned-out but never fancy. He had quite an impressive collection of khakis and golf shirts, and for special occasions he was old-school dapper in his custom made suits. But he didn’t need or want to be the center of attention. He sought solace at his beach house in Orange Beach, loved to fish, enjoyed Friday nights with friends or family at the FloraBama, and relaxing on a float in the pool. He had an exemplary group of friends, played golf, tennis, escaped the summer heat and humidity in Mobile and retreated to North Carolina for cooler weather and the fresh peach pies from the farmers market. He always made people feel appreciated, and valued and treated everyone with warmth and respect. He really liked you if he teased you, you knew he liked you even more if you liked dogs. And you hit the jackpot if you took into your home one of the hundreds of dogs he rescued. The number of people who told him “I wish I could come back in my next life as your dog” became almost legendary. He would tell you himself that sometimes he preferred the company of dogs over people. He may or may not have been teasing. He adored and took amazing care of his - and other - dogs for decades, wracking up untold veterinary bills to ready hundreds of stray and abandoned pooches for rehoming. He was a prolific financial supporter of various animal rescue foundations, and happily allowed his employees to bring their dogs to work. If you ever visited his office on Halls Mill Road, you knew to brace yourself for the rush of probably ten or more dogs of every size and breed. Sometimes it was pandemonium, and he loved it. He also hosted frequent doggy day trips to his office property for the local Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) because they didn’t have any land in their old location. Jim was an avid sportsman: angler, golfer, tennis player, hiker and coached Little League Baseball years ago at Municipal Park in Mobile. He was a great coach and mentor to many kids throughout the years, and people young and old sought his advice on everything from business to faith up until the very end. He was the anchor and trusted advisor to his family and many friends, never failing to help without question in any crisis, or problem solving or business advice. He made time for people and gave everyone his full attention. Jim was also an active and devoted member of the Christian Businessmen’s Association, and had all the comfort and confidence in the world in his ironclad Christian faith, rarely missing Sunday school and church until he was physically unable to attend. He read his Bible daily and hundreds of books on faith & Christianity. His impassioned dinner blessings were powerful and highly impactful to his family and so eloquently delivered. His deep faith was the cornerstone and the roadmap for his life. He never judged or disparaged anyone for their faith, or lack of - and he was always happy to sit down with anyone to have a pleasant discussion or civil debate about it. It was his hope and prayer that everyone grew a little stronger in their relationship with God, but he never forced it. Outside of that, he knew how to have fun and make people feel welcome, valuable and comfortable. He could be irreverent at times, but it was respectfully so. He was at peace in the end, unafraid of death, because he knew exactly where he was going. A humble, generous, fun and smart man, he will be missed by so many people and especially by his faithful, furry companion, Winston.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 6 at Radney Funeral Home 3155 Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama. Visitation will held from 10:15 to 11:00 followed by the service at 11:00, also at Radney Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, Jim and his family ask that you please consider a donation to the Tree of Life Church 4548 Halls Mill Road, Mobile, Alabama 36693.