James Wilson

WILSON, James Leon, age 91, of Birmingham, Alabama, died June 21, 2015. He was a long-time member of Five Mile Presbyterian Church, and had retired from Cosby Hodges Milling Company after forty-four years. He graduated from Jefferson County High School where he played football, and attended both Alabama Polytechnic Institute and the University of Alabama Extension Center in Birmingham following military service in the United States Army Air Forces. A Civil War history buff, he was also an avid coin and arrowhead collector. Leon was an enthusiastic and devoted fan of all Auburn University varsity sports and of Atlanta Braves baseball. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry Lelon Wilson and Mary Elizabeth Moore; wife, Frances Howard Wilson; brother William Joseph Moore; sister Billie Jean Harris; step-sister Joyce Rodgers; children Howard Leon Wilson and Martha Gail Wilson Allen. Leon is survived by his daughter Deborah Pennington and her husband William Scott Pennington, Jr; daughter Rebecca Wilson and her husband Gregory Allen Byrd; grandchildren William Scott Pennington, III, and his wife Janna Pennington, James Gibson Pennington and his wife Katie Pennington, Thomas Wilson Pennington, Emily Allen, and Jesse Stuart Allen; sisters Mary Jane Zeanah, Elizabeth Louise Sloan, Annie Ruth Poe; brothers Lloyd Wilson and Jimmie Randel Moore; brother-in-law Johnny M. Howard; four great-grandchildren; and many beloved nieces and nephews. A family graveside service will be held on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3 p.m. at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East, with visitation one hour prior to service at Jefferson Memorial. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Five Mile Presbyterian Church, 1137 Five Mile Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35215.