James Lankford

James (Jimmy) Gerald Lankford entered this world on August 17, 1933. The youngest of seven children born to Ethel Buckner Lankford and Rufus Lankford (four girls; three boys), Jimmy was the only boy to survive past infancy. He was blessed with a dimpled chin, a twinkling gleam in his eye, and two of the biggest ears this side of Trussville. Also in the package was a load of charm, a beautiful singing voice, and a quick wit, all of which served him well for the entirety of his 92-years, 10 months, and 12 days on this spinning rock.

The man never met a stranger. He flirted with waitresses, tellers, repair people, home health aides, nurses and doctors alike, and managed to do it in a way that was endearing, not creepy. Honest!

He was occasionally a maker of inedible food: Don’t have a pizza mix? Put ketchup on an English muffin, slap a slice of American cheese on top, and if you’re feeling fancy, add some stick meat from Swiss Chalet. Or a Slim Jim. Or sardines. Want to make Eggs Benedict but you’re out of buttermilk? Use the curdled milk from your fridge that’s three weeks past its expiration date, and problem solved. You may have to leave the windows of your house open for a week to get rid of the smell,but aside from that...

He was not especially handy with tools. When the family took a vacation trip to North Carolina, Jimmy tried his hand at fixing the hotel room’s broken, window-unit air conditioner. He ended up falling out the window. With the air conditioner. And the room was on the second floor! Luckily, the hotel was perched on a steep slope so that the ground rose to just underneath that particular window, so he didn’t really fall very far. But we didn’t know that when we saw him go flying. Jimmy got some good mileage out of telling that story.

He was a lover of Barbershop Music, History, word puzzles, juking (dancing), groan-inducing corny jokes, ukulele playing, DePalma’s, cold beer and golf (Despite his pale skin. You’re welcome, dermatologists of Tuscaloosa!).

He bragged about the accomplishments of his kids (John and Jeanna) to anyone who would listen; took endless pride in his grandchildren (Megan, Courtney, and Josh), and endless delight in his great-grandchildren (John and Lainey).

Besides his family, his longest and deepest commitment was to the Alabama Credit Union. Jimmy was the Alabama Credit Union’s first President and served in that position for 36 years. During his tenure, Jimmy saw the institution increase from a membership base of 300 with assets of $101,000, to over 14,000 members and assets of $87 million in 1998 at the time of Jimmy’s retirement. At his retirement party, Jimmy said that in 36 years, there hadn’t been a single day when he didn’t love going into work. He had enjoyed every minute of working there.

And he must’ve meant that because he only managed to stay retired for about three weeks, had a small stroke, then went back to work for the Alabama Credit Union for another 25 years, finally retiring for good in 2023. During that time, he headed membership drives at Student Orientation, helped with the audit reports, and served on both the Board of the Alabama Credit Union Administration, and on the Board of its predecessor, the Alabama State Banking Department’s Bureau of Credit Unions. He was an organizer and charter member of the Alabama Credit Union Managers Association and was named its CEO for the 1994 year.

Under his direction, Alabama Credit Union was the League’s Credit Union of the Year in 1964, and won that organizations Merit award for the years 1988, 1989, 1992, 1996, and 1998. In June of 2012, The League of Southeastern Credit Unions awarded Jimmy with its “Distinguished Service Award.”

So it was no surprise to the family that on June 28, 2026, the day before he passed, the Credit Union was very much in Jimmy’s thoughts. He was worried about getting out the end of month statements, and excited about the new members who had signed up.

He passed in the early hours on June 29th, with his absolute gem of a daughter-in-law, Pam Frankin, holding his hand. The last words he heard were, “I love you, Pop.” And he was. He was so, so very loved by so many people.

Jimmy was preceded in death by his only son, John Lankford, a loss from which he never really recovered. Also preceding Jimmy were his sisters Thelma Rickles and Imogene Malone, his brothers Paul Lankford and William Lankford, as well as his mother and father, Ethel and Rufus.

He is survived by his wife, Geneva; his daughter, Jeanna Lankford and her husband, Ken Scarborough; his step-daughter, Teresa Golson, his daughter-in-law Pamela Franklin; his granddaughter Courtney Lankford and her husband, Matt Taul; his granddaughter Megan Lankford, her husband, Justin Lenard, and their son John Wyatt Lenard; his step-grandson, Josh Golson, his wife Angela, and their daughter Lainey; and his much beloved older sisters, Doris Limebarger and Frankie Terry, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation for James will be held at Sunset Funeral Home on Thursday, July 2, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, followed by a Celebration of Life at 1:00 pm. Burial will take place at Sunset Memorial Park.

The family wishes to thank the loving and compassionate staff of both The Crossings at Northriver, and The Crossings at Riverchase for taking such good care of Jimmy during his last few months.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Secret Meals http://www.secretmeals.org, 401 University Boulevard E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. Secret Meals is an organization supported by Alabama Credit Union that provides meals to school children in need.