Jim Hudson
James Charles "Jim" Hudson, Jr, 85, longtime business owner and founder of Hudson Construction Company, died Tuesday.
He was a long-time, faithful, servant leader at St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church.
Born August 2, 1937 in Mount Willing, Alabama to James Charles and Margaret Taylor Hudson. he moved to Chattanooga with his family as a teenager where he played football and graduated from Central High School. He attended Tennessee Technical University before returning to Chattanooga to start a family and what would become Hudson Construction Company, a national firm conducting projects all over the United States.
Mr. Hudson was a member of several local civic and non-profit organizations including the Rotary Club. He served on the boards of the local YMCA (with a special interest in Camp Ocoee), the Association of General Contractors of Tennessee, the Chattanooga Airport Authority, the Children’s Nutritional Program of Haiti, Chambliss Center for Children, and the Chattanooga Community Foundation.
Mr. Hudson retired early from the day-to-day construction business to fulfill a childhood Sunday School teacher’s suggestion that he use his carpentry skills to serve the Lord as a missionary carpenter. He built, finished, and remodeled churches in Alaska, South Dakota, and Costa Rica and a home for unwed mothers in Tennessee. He also built a school in Haiti with The Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti and was honored with the prestigious “Deb Welington Heart for Haiti” award. This award was established in 2015 to recognize an individual who has gone the extra mile to support the CNP’s efforts. Following construction of the school, he rebuilt the church next door to this school, making it the first church in Haiti to reopen after the earthquake of 2010.
Mr. Hudson was a founding member of the Dunaway Hunting and Fishing Club and was an avid fisherman, hunter, chef and even became adept as an artist.
Survivors include his wife, Ellen Spencer Hudson; sister Vivian Smith; sons Jimmy (Sam Mosier) Hudson; Mark Hudson, Bobby (Pam Martin) Hudson; and Steve Hudson. Grandchildren Chuck, Grace, and Margaret Anne Hudson.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Margaret Taylor Hudson; brothers Sam Hudson and Fred Hudson, spouses, Nancy Brown Hudson and Peggy Fordham Hudson.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church located at 7547 East Brainerd Road. It will be followed by a reception at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club from 1-3 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to: Hudson Homes Foundation, a new non-profit providing homes for the homeless: P.O. Box 17262 Chatt TN 37415; Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti: 1401 Williams St Unit 149 Chatt TN 27408; St Martin of Tours Episcopal Church: 7547 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421.
Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road.