Joe Lane Hudgins, 98, died peacefully on June 28, 2018 in Franklin, TN, where he resided since 2005. Joe was born January 12, 1920 in Union City, TN and was the son of the late William Edgar and Mayme Hudgins. He attended Union City schools graduating in 1938. He was captain of the Union City High School football team for two years including the year they played in the West Tennessee State Championship game. He attended Union University on a football scholarship for two years before being inducted into the U.S. Army in 1942. He attended Officer Candidate School and became a Second Lieutenant.
In March, 1943, he married the former Martha Stokes from Trenton, TN and they made their home in Houston, TX. Joe was sent overseas in February, 1944 and landed at Omaha Beach, D+9. While in Normandy, he received a battlefield promotion to Captain of a Battery and received a Bronze Star and five commendation medals while serving in Europe. After the war, he was sent to Marseilles, France and served as a Major of a Field Artillery Battalion. He then completed his education at the University of Oklahoma receiving a degree in Petroleum Geology. He worked for Exxon for 32 years and was the first Gulf of Mexico Exploration Manager. He had previously served as a Division Geologist for the Southeastern United States. He retired in 1980 and was recognized in the All-World Who’s Who out of Cambridge, England. He also had a poem published in the Library of Congress.
Mr. Hudgins is preceded in death by his wife, Martha, and loving daughter, Pat McMahan, and son-in-law, C.M. Van Zandt III. He is survived by his daughter, Linda Van Zandt of College Station, TX; grandchildren, Chip Van Zandt, Cristi Van Zandt Faulkner, Kurt McMahan, Brannen McMahan; five great grandchildren and loving nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, July 6th at 1:00 am at the Greenwood Serenity Gardens Cemetery, Montgomery, AL. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.
