James Earl Fibbe

James Earl Fibbe, Sr., aged 88, of Mobile, Alabama passed away on August 19, 2026. Jim is survived by his wife of 65 years Cele, his sons James E. Fibbe, Jr. and his wife Charlotte Rust Fibbe of Mobile, and George Harold Fibbe and his wife Anne Reagan Harris Fibbe of Houston, Texas; grandchildren Erin Fibbe Klavas, Julia Cecilia Patricia Fibbe, James E. Fibbe III, George Finch Fibbe, Denton Harris Fibbe, and Anne Cullen Fibbe; and his brother Thomas R. Fibbe and his wife Kay of Elko, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth Sondermann Fibbe and E.G. “Bud” Fibbe, and his sisters Patsy Fibbe Conway and Norma Jean Baldwin.

Jim was born on January 19, 1938, in Frankfort, Kentucky, where he graduated from Good Shepherd High School in 1956. He went on to Auburn University on a basketball scholarship to study civil engineering. “Jimmy” was named All-SEC and led Auburn to its first Conference Championship in 1959-1960 in dramatic fashion: he famously made both ends of a 1-and-1 free throw opportunity with seconds remaining to defeat Kentucky. He is in the Auburn basketball Hall of Fame, has a diamond plaque on Auburn’s Tiger Trail, and he won the 2002 Walter Gilbert Award for former athletes who have distinguished themselves through exceptional professional achievement and civic service.

More importantly, at Auburn he met Mary Cecile Finch at a Newman Club picnic, and they married in Mobile on October 14, 1961. Jim served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, earned a master’s degree from West Virginia University, and then Jim and Cele settled in Mobile in 1966.

Jim lived a life defined by a strong work ethic, dedication to Cele and his family, steadfast devotion to his Catholic faith, and service to his community. Jim spent 21 years with the Mobile County Health Department, including as Director of Environmental Services, where he developed the County’s first air pollution control program. In 1977, he was named Air Conservationist of the Year by The Alabama Wildlife Federation and The National Wildlife Federation. From 1987 to 1998, Jim served as Director of the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System. Jim also served as Executive Director of CSS Alabama Association (USA) and as President of the Board of Directors for the Alabama Retired State Employees Association.

The family would like to thank the health care professionals who cared for Jim over the last three decades with great skill and compassion, including in his final days, especially Dr. Patrick Nolan, Dr. Michael O’Dowd, and Dr. Mina Jacob, as well as the nursing staffs at the Mobile Infirmary and Westminster Village. A funeral Mass to celebrate Jim’s life will be held on Saturday, August 29 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Following Mass, there will be a reception at the Sisters of Mercy Building across the street from the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jim’s honor to St. Mary’s Church, 106 Providence Street, Mobile, AL 36604, which has served as the center of the family’s faith life and community for decades.