James William Junior, age 96, passed away on Friday, February 5, 2026, at Elk River Health and Nursing Center of Ardmore where he had resided for 18 months. Graveside services will be held at Sandlin Cemetery on Saturday, February 7, at 3:00 pm, with Gerome Hilliard officiating.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil & Gracie Junior. Wife, Marie (Foster) Junior. Wife, Margaret (Balch) Junior. Brother, Kenneth Junior. Son-in-law, Terry Hill, and great-grandchildren, Thomas Storey and Alyssa Forrester.
He is survived by one daughter, Helen Ann Hill of Minor Hill, TN. A son, James (Sharon) Junior II of Madison, AL. Four grandchildren – Hope (Lynn) Glover, Bonnie (Terry) Storey, Terry (Jennifer) Hill, Jr. and
Tiffany (Andy) Appleton. Six great-grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren.
Mr. Junior was born in Huntsville, AL, on December 6, 1929. On January 23, 1950, he married Marie Foster in Iuka, MS. They were married for more than 50 years before her death in 2001. In 2002, He married Margaret and they were together for over 10 years. He was a Korean War veteran who served from 1950-1952. In 1953, he and a partner opened Courtesy Dry Cleaners in Huntsville which they operated for several years.
In 1968, he attended the US Army Finance School and received the AMC Comptrollership Course Diploma. He retired from the US Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal in 1985.
He was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1971 at Capshaw Baptist Church and served churches in Limestone and Madison Counties. In 1987, both he and Marie received both their master’s degree and Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Baptist Center for Biblical Studies in Jacksonville, Florida. Some of the churches he served were Elkwood Baptist, Concord Baptist, First Baptist-Toney, and Bethel Baptist. He retired from full-time ministry in 2002.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:
Midway Baptist Church
26575 US Highway 72
Athens, AL, United States, 35613
OR
Elk River Health and Nursing Center
RE: Resident Enrichment
Attn: Administrator
24623 Union Hill Road
Ardmore, TN 38449
