James Milton “Jim” English, 78, of Vestavia Hills, Ala., and formerly of Gloucester, Va., passed away after a brief illness on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Jim was born in Morganton, N.C., on April 28, 1948 to Milton and Pauline English and moved to Newport News, Va., in the early 1950s, graduating from Warwick High School in 1966. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in West Germany for most of his deployment. Jim retired from Marva Maid Dairy in 2007.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, Robert and Christine Newton, and his sister, Brenda Bilyayev.

Jim was married to former Gloucester resident Robbie (Newton) English for over 56 years. One of Jim’s proudest roles was that of father to his only child, Casey (English) Bartok of Vestavia Hills. Jim is also survived by his son-in-law, Peter Bartok, and grandsons, Ben and Sam Bartok of Vestavia Hills; his sister-in-law, Marylee (Newton) Fary of Palmyra, Va.; brother- and sister-in-law, Robert “Hugh” and Leslie Newton of Chapel Hill, N.C.; sister- and brother-in-law Nora (Newton) and Stephen Crouch of Richmond, Va.; and brother-in-law Anatoley Bilyayev of Jacksonville, Fla., as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Jim was guided by his strong Christian faith and was a former member and deacon of Providence Baptist Church. Jim continued his faith journey upon moving to Alabama, where he was a member of Grantswood Baptist Church.

Services will be private.