Mr. James Clifford Eddins

October 11, 1933 - October 15, 2021

LtCol James “Jim” Clifford Eddins, 88, passed away peacefully at his home in Perdido, Ala., Oct. 15, 2021, surrounded by family, following a short illness. He was born Oct. 11, 1933, in Atmore, Ala., and eventually moved to and grew up on the family farm just south of town. After WWII, Jim’s father, Clifford Eddins, became a commercial fisherman on the Tensaw River, so Jim moved with the family to an area on the river now known as Cliff’s Landing. Following graduation from high school in Bay Minette, he attended Marion Military Institute in preparation for entry into the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. While at the academy, he served as the skipper of the naval training vessel, Freedom, for four years. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1957, Jim was commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served active duty for eight years before joining the Marine Corps Reserve. He rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel before he retired, having served more than 30 years in commissioned service. His military career included much-coveted assignments such as serving with the Presidential Security Force at the Marine Corps Barracks in Washington, D.C., and completing two commanding officer assignments with the Marine Corps Reserve Units in Mobile, Alabama. Jim met his wife Marianne while working for IBM in Baltimore, Md. in 1966. The two were married Jan. 26, 1968, and lived in Glen Arm, Md. until 1971, when Jim wanted to come home to Alabama. As he would tell the story of his return to Alabama, Marianne wanted a nice bottle of wine to celebrate the move. At that time, it was difficult to buy a decent bottle of wine in Alabama, so Jim promised his wife that he would buy some land and grow the grapes to produce a good bottle of wine. In 1972, they purchased 100 acres of land in Baldwin County and established a 50-acre muscadine grape vineyard. The Alabama Legislature recognized Perdido Vineyards as a winery in 1979, making it Alabama’s First Farm Winery since prohibition, licensed as BW-AL1. The winery was designated as a historic site in Baldwin County in 2010. In addition, Jim established a professional engineering business, working with the local communities to facilitate private and commercial business enterprises throughout South Alabama and Northwest Florida. As a Native American and a descendant of the Creek Indian Tribe, Jim contributed significant time and energy in support of the Poarch Indians providing engineering services to various organizations on the reservation and at the Wind Creek Resort. Jim passed away only a few days after spending his 88th birthday at his home with friends and family watching football, eating ice cream and cake, and enjoying a glass of one of his award-winning Perdido Vineyards wines. Jim was charming, loyal, intelligent, articulate and a force to be reckoned with when challenged. He dedicated himself to military service and pursuits including engineering, teaching, the arts, winemaking, and viticulture. He was fiercely independent, hard-working and a heck of a lot of fun when you could keep up with him. He is beloved by his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Marianne Roman Eddins; his sister, Myrtle Lou Gillespie; his brother, Kenneth Eddins; an adopted Sister, Marie Bessett; and his parents, Rachel Steadham Eddins and Clifford Eddins. He is survived by an adopted sister Jackie Nash; two daughters, Adrienne Hudson and Peyton Hudson; three grandsons, Dorian, Oliver and Sebastian; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered. Jim leaves behind a legacy that will outlive us all.