James Edward Gattis died on Tuesday, July 12, 2021 at Huntsville Hospital as a result of pneumonia and heart failure. A longtime resident of Huntsville, Edward was born in Caney Cove near Aspel in Jackson County, Alabama on November 17, 1930.
Edward is preceded in death by his wife, Lenora Gattis (nee Langston); father, Henry Taylor Gattis; mother, Maggie Mae Winkles Gattis; brother, Clarence Wilson Gattis; and sister, Mary Taylor Gattis Edwards. He is survived by three children, Eddy Gattis (Olivia) of Virginia, Marcella Willis (Darrell) of New Mexico, and Judith Davis (Mike) of Huntsville. All three of his children are graduates of Woodville High School and the University of Alabama.
Edward also leaves behind five grandchildren, Darrell Willis, Jr. (Laura) of Illinois, Amber Willis of Huntsville, James Edward Gattis, III (Brittani) of Virginia, Paul Davis of Huntsville, and Sarah Davis, also of Huntsville. He was also the proud great-grandfather of two, Ella Willis and Gavin James Willis, both of Illinois. A surviving sister, Betty Jean Walker, resides in Scottsboro and many nieces and nephews.
Edward was raised primarily in Garth, Alabama in Paint Rock Valley. Upon graduating Woodville High School, he joined the United States Navy during the Korean War serving aboard the USS Orleck, and stationed in San Diego, San Francisco, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The Orleck is now a museum ship anchored in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Upon leaving the Navy, Edward was a civil servant for multiple federal agencies including NASA, DIAPEC, and various Department of Defense agencies, eventually retiring from the Army’s Missile Defense Agency’s Hellfire Missile program. He later worked for the defense contractor SRS Technologies.
A member of Mayfair Church of Christ, Edward was active in several medical missions to support local churches and their members in Belize in Central America. Along with his wife, he was also active in support of local efforts of the Association of Retarded Citizens. Arrangements for burial have been made through Berryhill Funeral Home on Saturday, July 17th with visitation from 10:00 AM – 12:00 noon followed by service at 12 noon with Joe Essner officiating. Burial will be at Paint Rock Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in the name of James Edward Gattis to Agape of North Alabama or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
