George Washington Hudgins

George Washington Hudgins, age 96, died peacefully in his sleep on January 13, 2022. He lived a vibrant life, adjusting to new places, phases, and physical challenges with his unique grace and gusto. After Virginia, his beautiful and beloved wife of 66 years died in 2018, George determined to thrive, with the loving care of his family…son Drew Ben Hudgins and wife Kerri, and daughter Jill Hudgins Randall and husband Patrick…he truly loved his children and their spouses! He also loved loved his grandchildren…Ben Howard Randall, Anna James Randall, and Maximilian Drew Hudgins, who treasured their Papa’s humorous insight, answered his quick phone calls and genuinely enjoyed visiting him. George gloated that it took many people to replace him when he gave up driving 4 years ago…Jill for appointments, banking and supplies, Ben for groceries, Pat for home repairs, plus Drew and Kerri for special outings! With his family and the expert companionship of 24/7 live-in caregivers Janet Morata and Liza Agas, plus the friendship of his Harbour House condo community, George did indeed thrive and was kept out of the hospital these last 3 years. Bravo!

Since George lived a big full life, here’s a big long tribute to his 96 years.

Many days George finished his okra, mashed random buttons to turn off his loud TV, rang a big bell so Janet or Liza would bring him coffee, attached his prosthetic leg, walkered to his electric scooter, secured his coffee thermos with a zip tie add-on, picked one of many special hats and buzzed down to the lobby. There George greeted all, jived with doormen, oversaw maintenance projects, handed out unique Christmas gifts, fell asleep in the 90 degree sun while wearing a fleece vest, offered unsolicited advice and stage whispered politically incorrect commentary that was broadly inclusive and diverse...all the while thankful that he didn’t live with old people and wasn’t on lockdown. He was the Mayor of Harbour House!

George was born in his family’s living room on November 24, 1925, in Atlanta (Bolton), Georgia, to Bayne Hornbuckle and Ben Fletcher Hudgins, with older brother Bennie. He loved growing up in his Bolton neighborhood, with much freedom and many friends and family. Their lives centered around activities at Collins Methodist Church down the street. George enjoyed a Huckleberry Finn childhood and especially loved camping. One year he and his buddies spent over 100 nights on a Chattahoochee River island in the middle of Atlanta’s Buckhead section. George was a lifelong member, leader and supporter of Boy Scouts of America. At age 14 he was the youngest Eagle Scout in Atlanta, even earning Bronze, Gold and Silver Palms above Eagle. He later watched with pride as his son Drew and then grandson Max each achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout, making them a very very rare family with 3 generations of Eagle Scouts.

When WWII started George and his fellow Scouts rode their bikes around the neighborhood announcing blackout mandates. Orders were given for lights to be turned off at certain times out of concern that Atlanta could be bombed by enemy aircraft. George was later drafted from Atlanta’s North Fulton High School ROTC into the US Army Air Force. He served at 18 bases during WWII, ending up in Hawaii and the Philippines. George returned home to finish at Darlington Prep School in Rome, Georgia. From there he worked in various sales jobs and attended several colleges…West Georgia College, Georgia Tech (day and night school), University of Georgia Atlanta division…all the while serving in the Active Reserves and traveling to several bases for training. George was called up by the USAF for the Korean War and advanced to Crew Chief Engineer of the 10-man crew on bombers. He was in charge of maintaining the aircraft and deeming it ready for flight. George “chiefed” on the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-26 Marauder, and B-29 Super Fortress, and was chosen to attend special schools to learn key new flight systems and train others. He was part of missions on various bombers all over the world. At times, there was even an atomic “A” bomb in the payload, thankfully never deployed. George was a decorated veteran of both conflicts with 10 years of combined active and reserve service.

While on leave in Atlanta, George had a blind date with vivacious Virginia Drew of Waynesboro, Georgia, and was smitten. Everyone knew it was true love when he sold 2.5 cars to buy her engagement ring. They were married on March 23, 1952, at the Vineville Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia. After a brief honeymoon in Savannah and Daytona, George went back to Puerto Rico to finish out his last 6 months of service, signing up for any mission that brought him close to his new bride. Virginia’s family became as important to him as his own. He loved his new big Drew family, especially all the events and reunions. George and Virginia initially set up house in Atlanta until a job opportunity with International Salt brought them to Tampa, Florida, in 1955. Virginia found a home on Davis Islands and son Drew was born in 1956, followed by redheaded daughter Jill in 1959.

George provided a wonderful home for his family, full of interesting objects and clever recreation…homing pigeons, a wooden boat in the backyard and later a tree house, a family tandem made from 2 bikes welded together at Jack Painter’s Island Shell station, beach breakfasts, one tank trips, baking a potato on the car engine’s manifold, pulling over before state lines so his kids could walk from state to state…he always made anything and everything more fun. George traveled the state of Florida selling salt Monday to Friday when his family was young…good thing Drew was born on a Friday and Jill on a Monday! A few years later he seized an opportunity to stay home and went into the feed and grain brokerage business, moving product on the Chicago Board of Trade. He became Owner and President of Hudgins Feed and Grain Brokers, Inc. and enjoyed 31 years in this field. He was a member of the National Feed and Grain Association and remained a Director Emeritus of the Florida Feed and Grain Association. George made annual conventions fun by hosting cocktail parties, handing out hilarious homemade golf trophies, chumming up members for his fictitious Midnight Swim Club, and even jumping off a high dive in a ginormous Montgomery Ward display shirt…his kids were proud!

George was a fun neighbor, too. If asked to take care of your roses, you might come home to bare bushes while his home was abloom. And a “For Sale” sign might appear in your yard! Once he bought a bushel of oysters and sent his kids on bikes to invite the neighborhood over, many of whom hadn’t met til then. He loved early morning bike rides, which became scavenger hunts for great curbside finds. George embraced monthly camping with Drew and the other dads in Boy Scout Troop 23, making it his mission to find the perfect used camping equipment and marking it with red nail polish. He loved frying carport potatoes while Drew and his buddies rode the mini bike around their Davis Islands backyard.

Halloween was a big thing for George…he transformed a sheet into a teepee and handed out candy from the front lawn, marking each child’s hand with an X to prevent repeats…the X was proudly on display by many Gorrie Elementary School students the next day. Over a few years the teepee morphed into a Halloween haunted carport with more sheets and an Army surplus tent, plus an organ to play spooky music that was reclaimed from the trash on a bike ride. The fruit didn’t fall far…have you heard about Drew’s epic haunted houses?!

George believed in going to church, even on vacation, and being active at church. The Hudgins made lifelong friends at Palma Ceia United Methodist Church, especially in their monthly Couples’ Club. George served on many committees and was a Sunday usher for years (yes, he often fell asleep during the sermon, after organizing duos to precisely collect the offering). George even chaired an ambitious committee to set up a live nativity scene in the church’s Dale Mabry parking lot, complete with actors and animals, including a genuine Sardinian donkey with special cross markings from Masaryktown, Florida (yes, the family took a ride to check it out). And his chairing of the annual Methodist Men’s Club Pancake Marathon became legendary, with chef hats, elaborate training rituals and much success. There may or may not have been Bloody Marys served at an off-site location when the work was done.

George also helped Jill with Girl Scout badges and school projects, and faithfully attended baton, ballet and piano recitals, plus presentations and award ceremonies. She loved it when he taught her underage self to drive the family Mustang on an abandoned island airport runway. He made her drive long distances backwards in reverse, while putting her through the paces of turning on blinkers, headlights, wipers and changing the radio to learn all the knobs… believing that ”If you can drive backwards, you can surely drive forward!” George showed up for everything, even when he was skeptical of Academy of the Holy Names’ Father-Daughter dances. When he realized that gone were the stuffy cotillion dance styles of his youth, he boogied and grooved with Jill and friends, played pranks with the other dads and bought the nuns beer at the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor after party…he even borrowed Drew’s MG for the night! Virginia was so happy to have a dancing man…their songs were “Mona Lisa” and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown.”

Virginia encouraged switching from public to private schools at key times in her children’s lives and George fully supported these new financial commitments to Berkeley, Academy and Jesuit. He believed in paying cash for most everything, so they adjusted their spending and budgeting when necessary. George honored his commitments and was a man of his word. When Jill begged to attend Plant High School for 10th grade, he still fulfilled his multi-year pledge to the Academy air conditioning fund…and rarely missed an opportunity to mention it when the family rode down Bayshore past the Academy. He was proud that both of his children graduated from Auburn University debt free. Drew even went on to Mercer Law School while Jill chose a grande tour of Europe.

George loved people and groups and naming his groups. He enjoyed weekday lunches as a member of the downtown Tampa Commerce Club. Upon its dissolution, he brokered a deal for a large group to move to The Tampa Club. He formed lasting friendships while eating lunch with men from all walks of life in every type of business field. They ate at a big round table, so he named them the Square Pegs, and they helped each other navigate life, family and business. Through these connections, George was invited to join the Tampa Yacht and Country Club, where he enjoyed playing bad tennis, after tennis drinks, plus all the family amenities that Virginia, Drew and Jill loved. His Saturday morning dockmaster group became the Old Farts Club (yes, there were OFC bumper stickers on many of their vehicles). When he moved his office from downtown to Hyde Park, George spearheaded new groups to eat at Morrison’s on Wednesdays and play golf together Fridays.

Upon retirement from Hudgins Grain Brokers, Inc. in 1991, he and Virginia moved to their favorite vacation spot of Vero Beach, Florida. George became an elder in their First Presbyterian Church. He volunteered as an auxiliary deputy in the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department, working security at the local courthouse. He was also part of the self-proclaimed #1 Team of drivers at the Indian River County Volunteer Ambulance Squad, which drove townspeople to scheduled medical visits at no charge. They made many friends in their Grove Isle and church communities. George had a coffee club at McDonald’s and a billiards group at the clubhouse. Ever the adventurer, he delighted in taking buddies to ramshackle BBQ joints and seafood restaurants located down long dirt roads. The journey was always as much fun as the destination.

After 20 years of retirement, George “retired” from retirement. He and Virginia moved back to Tampa to be closer to children and grandchildren. They rejoined Palma Ceia Methodist, picking right back up with old friends and making new friends at their Harbour House Condominium. After Virginia, his beloved wife of 66 years, passed away in 2018, George enjoyed life with full-time live-in companionship and assistance from Janet and Liza, who treated him like their father and became family. He loved lunch outings with Drew and Kerri to his cherished Tampa Yacht, sharing evening “vitamins” with Jill and Pat, and checking on family and friends far and wide with his trademark quick phone calls. Visits from his adored grandchildren Ben, Anna and Max were most treasured. He especially enjoyed tracking Anna on her nationwide van travels summer of 2020, encouraging his ABC news neighbor to do a story on her.

Please join the family at a Celebration of Life reception for George on Saturday, March 5, 2022, from 11 to 1 at Tampa Yacht and Country Club. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to the charity of your choice. Please honor George by living a good full life. Love your family. Have fun. Always have fun. Know that zip ties will secure anything. Haggle for cars…get up and leave while haggling for cars. Take the road less travelled. Check your tires. Scout out locations ahead of time. Call often. Be a good and generous neighbor. Most importantly, know where you are going, enjoy the adventure and be ready when you get there. George loved to say “There’s no place I’d rather be right now than right here with you!”