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A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham for Arthur Gray (Grey) Till Jr., 73, who was taken from us on Monday, Feb. 18, in Birmingham.

Grey was born on Dec. 10, 1945, in Greenville to Arthur Gray Till and Mamie Ethelyn Rogers Till. He grew up as part of the Forest Home, Monterey and Mount Moriah communities on a cattle farm with much of his youth spent on horseback and reading western novels. After graduating from Greenville High School, Grey was a recipient of the distinguished W.O. Parmer Scholarship, attended the University of Alabama, obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Omicron Chapter. He was a Golden Legion 50-year member of the fraternity at his death.

In Tuscaloosa, Grey met and married his wife of 44 years, Carolyn Jane Beason Till. He worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama to support his family while attending law school. He graduated from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 1973, where he was a member of the Dean’s List and was Vice Justice for the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity. He was an active member of the Alabama State Bar for more than 45 years, mentoring lawyers across the United States.

During his 40 years at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Grey formed the in-house legal department, serving as vice president and general counsel. Through his work, he supported numerous organizations related to expanding benefits for children’s healthcare. He will be remembered as an avid outdoorsman, horseman, hunter, lover of all things western and cowboy, lifelong student of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and supporter and revitalizer of the McCurdy Plantation Horse Breed. He would wholeheartedly agree with Winston Churchill who said, “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”

A brother, William Abbott Till, preceded Grey in death.

Survivors include his sister, Martha Till Seeley (Jon); daughters, Laurie Kara Till Ganter (Chris) and Kimberly Till Powell (James); adopted son, Mark Lukas Valenta (Noy); granddaughter, Gray Margaret Katherine Powell; nephew, Jeff Seeley (Angie); great nephews, Austin, Zachary and Brooks Seeley, and numerous cousins, relatives, friends and neighbors.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent “In Memory of A. Grey Till Jr.” either to The Bell Center, an early intervention program for children, birth to three years of age, online at https://thebellcenter.org/donate.html or via mail to P.O. Box 590127, Birmingham, AL 35259 or The Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program via mail to the Alabama State Bar, P.O. Box 671, Montgomery, AL 36101.