J. Paul Littrell

J. Paul Littrell, a World War II veteran and longtime Atlanta businessman and civic leader, died Saturday, August 22, at the age of 96.

Julius Paul Littrell was born November 20, 1918, in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, the only son of the late Edgar Littrell, a rural schoolteacher, and Alberta Littrell, a homemaker. Paul (as he was known all of this life) had one sister, Luthene, a lifelong Tennessee resident who predeceased him.

Mr. Littrell was married twice, first to Mable Carlton of Atlanta, the mother of his four children, all of whom survive him: Barbara Porter of Atlanta, Lee Fletcher and her husband, Perry, of St. Marys, Georgia, Peggi Littrell of Atlanta, and J. Paul Littrell, Jr. and his wife, Kamonman, of Marietta, Georgia. Mabel Littrell died in 1986, and in 1988 Mr. Littrell married Elizabeth Breazeale Wood, to whom he remained married for the rest of his life, 27 loving yrs. 6 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren are also among his survivors and many more loving family and friends.

"Most men are lucky to say they married one good woman", Mr. Littrell used to say. "I was fortunate to marry two".

Mr. Littrell was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, and served as an elder in the Druid Hills Church of Christ for a number of years. He was also a member of the original founding trustees of Greater Atlanta Christian Schools (GACS), recalling in recent years that when the group bought the land where the campus now sits outside of I-285, "it seemed so far away from Atlanta that people wondered whether we had lost our minds".

His Christianity was a practicing one, and he was known as a businessman for his personal honesty, integrity, and generosity to friends, family and employees. He was active in Shriners, Lions Club and other civic groups.

Mr. Littrell came to Atlanta in 1936, during the height of the Great Depression, to live with an uncle. He quickly went to work for $10 a week at a small store on Decatur Street recently opened by another newcomer to Atlanta from Jefferson, Georgia. After only a few months, the owner decided that Atlanta was too big a city for him, and offered to sell the inventory to then 18-year old Paul Littrell. The two agreed on terms that would permit Paul to pay for the inventory over time, and from that point on, he remained an Atlanta businessman, operating out of various locations on Decatur Street until World War II.

Married to Mable when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Paul received his draft notice in 1942 and closed down his hardware store for the duration of the war. Before reporting for his induction into the U. S. Army Air Corps, Paul went to see his primary supplier, a businessman named Dinkins, to pay off his balance of his debt. Impressed by the young entrepreneur's honesty, Mr. Dinkins told Paul to hold off and pay him after he got back from the war.

"I told Mr. Dinkins that I wasn't sure I would be coming back," recalled Mr. Littrell in later years, and insisted on making the payment.

After training to be a supply specialist, Paul was sent to England to serve in the 8th Air Force, making the crossing voyage on a converted banana boat that zigzagged through the north Atlantic to avoid German submarines.

"There were only half the number of bunks on board as there were men," he remembered. "We were each given a card with a number on it so we could take turns sleeping".

Paul served most of his time in England at a key U. S. logistical base near Lytham St. Anne's, which the Germans attacked in the later stages of the war with "buzz bombs".

"We could hear them coming and then explode", he recalled.

Paul was still in England when his first child, Barbara, was born, and by the time he arrived home after the war was over (on the captured German liner 'Europa'), Barbara was just old enough to talk.

"Hi Paul", were the first words she said to her dad.

Resuming his business career after World War II, Paul built up his retail store over the years by hard work and a savvy sense of what the public wanted. His final and largest location was located on Glen Iris Drive just across the street from what was then Sears, Roebuck and Company, a location that many thought might doom his business to failure. Instead, his business multiplied and in the early 1960's he became one of the first Ace Hardware franchises in the South, eventually employing up to 38 people.

Family vacations for the Littrell clan usually meant visits to St. Simons Island, which Paul first visited after World War II and became a home owner there. At one point Paul and a friend had an opportunity to buy a struggling hotel there called "The King and Prince" for approximately $50, 000. "But that was a lot of money back in the 40's", Paul later remembered. "We just couldn't do it." His would be partner was named Hovie Lister, who later founded the gospel music group "The Statesman" and remained a friend for life.

Paul's work ethic was matched by a fun loving, upbeat personality that customers and friends were drawn to. He sold more than hardware, and had a knack for offering bargains on toys and unusual items that drew customers in for more than just paint, tools and nails. Over the years his regular customers included well known members of Atlanta's cultural and governing elites. Mayor Maynard Jackson was a regular, and Paul would joke with His Honor that while he might be the mayor of Atlanta, "I am the mayor of Glen Iris."

Humor was a major part of Paul's character, whether telling jokes on fellow Lions Club members as the chapter's 'tail twister', or handing out not quite authentic million dollar bills with his picture to restaurant waiters and the like. Some of his sayings were borrowed, some original and some mixed. All had more than a tinge of wisdom mixed in with the humor.

"I would never buy a used car from a man who said that he never had a disagreement with his wife because he might lie about the car!" was one. "No one ever gets too much kindness!" was another. And he would cheerfully tell every restaurant waiter that he enjoyed the service so much that "if they ever let you go, I'll never come back".

Even after he retired, Paul maintained his interest in Ace Hardware, and appeared in a nationally televised commercial with Ace spokesman and football legend John Madden. Paul also kept in touch with Governor Lester Maddox (whom he had known as a businessman before going into politics) long after he had left office. Perhaps Governor Maddox summed up Paul's business career and personality best by the fond nickname he gave Paul: Mr. Ace.

He will be sadly missed by family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northlake Church of Christ, The Greater Atlanta Christian School, or to a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank Bebe for the past decade of loving care she gave to 'Paulie'.

The family will receive friends from 6 - 8 p.m. Monday, August 24, at A.S. Turner and Sons. A service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, at A.S. Turner and Sons with a burial to follow at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens.

Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033