James Willoughby Fuller, a lifelong resident of Montgomery, Alabama, was born on October 14, 1930 and died on October 26, 2024. Visitation will be held at the Montgomery County Historical Society (512 South Court Street) on Wednesday, October 30 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Providence Presbyterian Church (25 E. Old Hayneville Road at Highway 331 S) on Friday, November 1 at 11:00 a.m., with Reverend Aaron Fleming officiating. Burial will follow at 2:00 p.m. in Oakwood Cemetery.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Burkhead Fuller and Dewie Willoughby Fuller; his brother, Paul Burkhead Fuller, Jr.; and his grandparents, Judge John Boswell Fuller, Jane Maysey Mathews Fuller, William T. Willoughby, and Ella Morgan Willoughby. He is survived by his cousins, George H.B. Mathews, Burgin Mathews, Arthur F. Harman, John R. M. Day, Margaret Day Craddock, Jane Maysey Craddock, Fred B. Matthews, John R. Matthews III, Thomas A. Willoughby, Elizabeth Fuller Oliver, Robert C. Day III, Jane M. Davis, Caroline M. Cutchins Thompson, Matthew O. Fuller, John B. Fuller V, and Andrew Naff Fuller.
He attended Barnes School for Boys, graduated from Sidney Lanier High School, and attended Mercer University where he received his degree in business administration and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. After graduation, he was associated with Dixie Glass Company in Montgomery and served as Vice-President. In 1970, James co-founded Fuller and Gregory, Inc. launching Stonehenge, a business specializing in custom framing, art, and lighting.
James was the last living founder of the Montgomery County Historical Society, established in 1992, and served as the volunteer Executive Director for over twenty years. In this role, he was instrumental in the rescue of the 1837 Figh-Pickett- Barnes School House building, the oldest existing brick residence in the city, and navigated the efforts with the Federal General Services Administration not only to acquire the building but also to convince the GSA to incur the cost of the move. The move, in 1996, was a monumental effort as the building, weighing approximately 600 tons, was relocated from Clayton Street to its present location on Court Street.
James also served as the volunteer general contractor in restoring the building, the current home of the Montgomery County Historical Society. James was a third-generation member of the old First Presbyterian Church, where he once served as Chairman of the Board of Deacons. This Adams Street church had the earliest congregation, in 1824, and the oldest sanctuary, in 1845, in Montgomery. His favorite interests were local history, genealogy, building construction, movie extra, and all things British, especially automobiles.
Pallbearers are W.R. Rusty Gregory, Burgin Mathews, Fred B. Matthews, Winston C. Sheehan, Thomas A. Willoughby, and Darrell Blair. Honorary pallbearers are George H.B. Mathews, Arthur F. Harman, John R. Matthews III, Dr. M. Bonner Engelhardt, T. Bowen Hill III, James E. Sellars, and Edward Woodson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Montgomery County Historical Society (P.O. Box 1829, Montgomery, AL 36102) or the charity of your choice.
In The Care Of Leak Memory Chapel.