James Leon Sumner

James ""Jimmy"" Leon Sumner, age 78, of Tuscaloosa, died September 26, 2015, at home. Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 29, 2015, at Memory Hill Gardens with Dr. Donald Payne officiating. Burial will follow in Memory Hill Gardens with Memory Chapel Funeral Home, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will be one hour prior to service at the funeral home.He was preceded in death by his parents, James Berry Sumner and Nannie Morrison Sumner; brother, John Gordon Sumner; and brother-in-law, Larry Walker.Survivors include his beloved ex-wife and best friend, Stevie Sumner Wyatt; daughters, Charlotte Sumner Culton of Birmingham, Ala. and Heidi Sumner Soltys (Ed) of Birmingham, Ala.; son, James Leon Sumner, Jr. (Kim) of Northport, Ala.; sisters, Shirley Sumner Walker of Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Patricia Sumner Galloway (Bo) of Merritt Island, Fla.; grandchildren, Jordan Culton, Carson Culton, Stuart Soltys, Stephanie Soltys and Camden Sumner; and many precious nieces and nephews. Jimmy was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1954 where he lettered in three sports and was Mr. THS. After playing basketball for a year at The University of Alabama, he transferred to Howard College (now Sanford) in Birmingham where he captained the basketball team. Jimmy was President of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. Upon graduation, he married and moved to Samson, Ala. where he taught high school and coached basketball and football for many years, including a State Championship Final in basketball and Coach of the Year Honors in 1962. He then served as Assistant Superintendent and Athletic Director for Geneva County School System and his family returned to Tuscaloosa in 1974 to run his family's business, Sumner Grocery, where he served his community for over 20 years. He was a lifetime member of Forest Lake Baptist Church and the Masonic Order and Shriners. He loved the Lord, Alabama football and basketball but his love for his family was his greatest joy. Pallbearers will be his nephews, Jeff Walker and Johnny Sumner, both of Tuscaloosa; grandsons, Carson Culton and Stuart Soltys, both of Birmingham, Camden Sumner of Northport and Buddy Moore of Tuscaloosa; and brother-in-law, Bo Galloway of Merritt Island, Fla. and Royce Patterson of Tuscaloosa.Honorary pallbearers are residents and staff of Presbyterian Apartments, former teammates from Tuscaloosa High School and Howard College, former players he coached at Samson High School, former patrons at Sumner's Grocery, THS Class of 1954, caregivers of Journey Hospice (especially Amanda Gibson, Leavy Burns), Peggy Marcum, Rilla Poole and Al Wyatt.