From: Magnolia Cremations and Funeral Services
Montgomery, Alabama
James Gordon Musgrove III, known to everyone all his life as Rex Musgrove, died peacefully at home at the age of eighty-four, on June 29, 2026. Rex lived his whole life in Prattville, Alabama where he was a pillar of the community in every sense of the word.
He is survived by: His wife Loxie Hinton Marshall Musgrove, and his daughter Kate Marshall Musgrove, and her two sons, Marshall Moncrief Chieves (with Madelyn Castaldo) and McWilliams James Musgrove, and
his son David Gordon Musgrove, and his wife Judge Joy Pace Booth, and David’s son Burns Sutherland Musgrove, and Joy’s son Bowie Booth, and daughters Callie and Caroline Booth, and his sister Kathy Sullivan, and her husband Paul Sullivan, their daughter Kristy Sullivan and her husband David Schmoyer and their two children, Sullivan and Kathleen.
Born November 13, 1941, Rex was the son of James Gordon Musgrove, Jr. and Kathleen Wadsworth Musgrove. Rex was the thirty third (33) generation in an unbroken line of Musgrove men documented back to the year 1066 in England.
The family crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Maryland Colony in the 1660s, then lived in South Carolina until the 1790s. William Trapnell Musgrove, Rex’s great (x 4) grandfather, moved to Blount County, Alabama in the early 1800s. The Musgrove family lived in Blount County until James Gordon Musgrove, Rex’s grandfather, moved to Prattville in 1905.
Rex went to work at the age of nine, mowing lawns. At the age of ten he began working at the drugstore for fifty cents an hour.
At age thirteen in 1954, Rex survived rheumatic fever (which at the time had only a fifty per cent survival rate). Part of the arduous cure in those days was three months of bedrest and avoidance of sports. Regaining his health, Rex turned his full focus to working at the drugstore, with his father, and never looked back.
Rex attended the Starke University School in Montgomery for his last two years of high school and graduated from there. He then spent two years at Marion Military Institute and graduated from there. Then it was on to Auburn University, where he graduated with a degree in Pharmacy in 1966.
Rex first met Loxie when she moved to Prattville with her parents, from Chattanooga, at the age of sixteen. While Rex was a student at Auburn and Loxie a student at the University of Alabama they kept in touch.
They were married on December 29, 1964. On December 29, 2025, they celebrated sixty-one years of marriage.
One cannot speak of Rex without discussing Prattville Rexall Drugs, later named Prattville Drug and Gifts. The drug store, which opened its doors in 1907, took on the REXALL franchise in 1913. Shortly after his birth in 1941, the employees of the drug store decided they would nickname Gordon’s new baby – Rex, for Rexall. The name stayed with him the rest of his life. Rex worked at the store until it closed in 1999, after a ninety-two-year run in downtown Prattville, during which the business survived a major fire in 1927 and two major floods in the 1930s. The store was a part of the bedrock of the town for nearly a century.
The business was always a family affair, from Uncle Maury McWilliams running the soda fountain from the store’s beginning in 1907, to Rex’s father Gordon, the nephew of Maury McWilliams, becoming part owner in 1940 and continuing to work there into the 1990s.
Always busy, Rex was never too busy to help anyone that needed it. He usually worked from about five a.m. until sometimes eight p.m. When someone called his house after hours needing an emergency refill of their prescription, Rex headed back out into the night to deliver it. His generosity to the town he called home was legendary. As busy as he was, being a father and grandfather was a job he took great joy in. There was always time for fishing, riding bikes, movies or ice cream. He was young at heart throughout his life, always eager for adventures great or small. Rex taught us much but was always ready to listen and learn something new. His heart and spirit were poured into us all, without reserve, and we knew we were cherished.
Another Prattville institution that must be mentioned in conjunction with Rex is the First Presbyterian Church. Actively involved with the church as was his father, and his cousins David Jones and Jack Wadsworth, Rex served as a deacon for many years, and was very generous as a member, always doing what he could to help and serve the church and its members.
Rex had another love that must be mentioned – Venice, Florida. After the death of her husband Ray Marshall, Edwina, Loxie’s mother, later married Roy Fosbrink and moved down to Venice, Florida. For years, Rex, Loxie, Kate and David went to Venice and spent summers and spring breaks on the Gulf Coast there. Rex fell in love with the town, and he and Loxie returned many times over the years, even after the children were grown. His children and grandchildren still visit there.
Rex was never one to sit idle. In his retirement years he took up painting and left behind a remarkable series of oil paint portraits and landscapes, simply done in vivid colors, often with some wry humor painted into them, showing there was more to Rex than hard work and kindness.
Yet if anything defines the man, it is those two attributes – kindness and hard work. From the fountain in Heritage Park, to the ringing of the brass bell in the First Presbyterian Church tower on Sundays, there will remain reminders everywhere, of Rex’s hard work, kindness and dedication towards the town and its people. Rex loved his family and he loved the town of Prattville. We were all fortunate to have him and be shaped by him.
At Rex’s request, a private graveside service will be held for immediate family members with Pastor Allan Bledsoe officiating at Oak Hill Cemetery.
A later Celebration of Life will be held at The Mill on Saturday, July 11, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at The Mill in downtown Prattville at 110 Bridge Street, Prattville, Alabama 36067.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rex’s name to: The Autauga County Heritage Association (102 E. Main St., Prattville, AL 36067, 334-361-0961), or Boy Scouts of America (3067 Carter Hill Road, Montgomery, AL 36111, 334-262-2097), or any charity of one’s choosing.
As we extend our deepest condolences to you and your family during this difficult time, we would also like to express our utmost gratitude to you for entrusting us with your loved one. Magnolia Cremations & Funeral Services.
