Joe Nix

Joe Nix died peacefully on March 25, 2018, in Evergreen, Alabama, with his beloved wife, Sandra, at his side.

Joseph B. Nix, Jr., born November 22, 1922, was always known simply as Joe, and in his later years, Mr. Joe. His was a remarkable life of over 95 years.

Growing up in Opp, Alabama, the son of Joseph B. Nix and Clyde Nix, Joe knew from an early age that he would someday be a lawyer. He often told his children that he sat on the second floor balcony above his grandparents’ store in Cuthbert, Georgia, as a teenager, reading and dreaming of his future. He knew even then that it would be in the field of law.

Joe’s college education was interrupted in his freshman year at the University of Alabama by the onset of World War II in 1941.  Immediately enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Joe spent all four years of the war in the Pacific. He was present and engaged at the Battle of Tarawa, November 20-23, 1943.  Like so many of the Greatest Generation, Joe was always reluctant to speak of the war; he simply served his country and his comrades like the patriot and courageous man he was, then came home to finish his education and build a life and career in America.

Graduating from law school at the University of Alabama, Joe eventually made Evergreen, Alabama, his home, where he created and grew a law practice that continues today. In fact, until very recently, he continued to spend time at the law office now headed by his youngest son, Richard, where, despite hearing and vision loss, Joe remained an irreplaceable source of encyclopedic knowledge of both the law and of local legal history. He could recall every client, every issue, and every legal precedent. Younger members of the Bar would frequently seek him out for advice.  He leaves a legal legacy that will undoubtedly remain unmatched for the foreseeable future. And the stories of people he helped are myriad.

A family member could always find Joe in one of three places (other than the office):  in his wonderful yard, planting or pruning or harvesting figs; at the golf course; or in his favorite chair, lost in a book. Reading was his passion, one he shared with the whole family and one which has endured right down to the great-grandchild level.

Joe is preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Libba and Mildred; and his beloved granddaughter, Sandra Elizabeth Jackson. He is survived by his wife and best friend of 52 years, Sandra Trainham Nix;  his children, Nancy O’Farrell (Mike), Ellen Garner (John), Kitty Nix, Joe Nix III (Linda), Kelsey B. Nix (Bart Wood), Richard Nix (Zebbie), and Darwin Nix. He is also survived by nine living grandchildren: Chris O’Farrell, Jim O’Farrell, Alexandra Theris (Nate), Jacob Wade, Joe Nix IV (Carolina), Andrew Nix, Jesse Nix (Samantha), Kelsey Frances Nix, and Davis Nix.  And most wonderfully, he is survived by four great-grandchildren, Colin and Ava O’Farrell, Peyton Nix, and Liam Nix.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Evergreen First United Methodist Church, Bereavement Committee, 118 Desplous Street, Evergreen, AL 36401.

Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at Magnolia Cemetery with Cope Keahey Funeral Home directing. Rev. Edward Robinson will officiate.  A eulogy will be given by his son Richard Nix.  The family will receive friends from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at Cope Keahey Funeral Home.

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