ARTHUR GRAY TILL
Arthur Gray (Grey) Till, Jr. 73, was taken from us on Monday, February 18, 2019 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, he was a recipient of the distinguished W.O. Parmer Scholarship, attended the University of Alabama, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, and was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Omicron Chapter.
Grey was a Golden Legion fifty-year member of the fraternity at his death. In Tuscaloosa, he 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 childrens’ 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.”
He is survived by his sister, Martha Till Seeley (Jon); daughters, Laurie Kara Till Ganter (Chris) and Kimberly Till Powell (James) and adopted son, Mark Lukas Valenta (Noy); granddaughter, Gray Margaret Katherine Powell; nephew, Jeff Seeley (Angie) and great-nephews, Austin, Zachary and Brooks Seeley; and numerous cousins, relatives, friends and neighbors.
He was preceded in death by a brother, William Abbott Till.
A memorial service was held Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m. at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent “in memory of A. Grey Till, Jr.” either to 1) 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 2) THE ALABAMA LAWYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM via mail to the Alabama State Bar, P.O. Box 671, Montgomery, AL 36101.